Scattered leaves
by Sagakure
Summary: Collection of short stories. Various characters, pairings and genres, ranging from drabble to ficlet and from comical to drama. Warnings and list of characters etc. in the table of contents inside. Latest story: Akatsuki, Aidou and Luca as they grow up.
1. Table of contents

Scattered Leaves

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I'm writing an ongoing little pile of drabbles and short stories featuring various VK characters. :)

The stories will probably be all independent from each other, but I'm posting them in a collection of drabbles so that they're grouped together in a more organized manner rather than a great big mess of little one-shots.  
(This is to avoid having the story list in my profile becoming complete chaos with tons of stories. XD; lol)

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**NOTE:** The stories are written as the manga is in constant progression, so some of them were based on ideas and possibilities that in some cases turned out to be the way they were portrayed in fics and in other cases turned out to be something else.  
For example, for the longest time there was a mystery in the manga over what happened with Kaname earlier on and what Rido had done to make the ancestor awaken as a child in the current world. So some fics are written with the theory that Kaname was in a different body from his own. As it turned out to be, he was in his own body and had become a baby again, so some fics have a wrong setting. But oh well, they're fics, and it's inevitable when writing about a series still in progress.  
So hopefully it will still be enjoyable anyway. :)

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So that it's more clear and you can find more easily what you're looking for if you're searching by character or pairing, here's a little index page of sorts:

**Story list:**

**01 : Echo** - _Kaname. (Mentions of Rido, Haruka, Juri and Yuuki.)  
_**02 : A bad lie for a good reason - **_Zero, Ichiru. (Mentions of Kaname also.)_  
**03 :** **Family bonding? -**_ I removed it because I wrote a sequel, and so it became a separate little series rather than a one-shot. :D_  
**04 : Two halves of a whole **_**- **Kiryuu twins. _  
**05 : Safeword** _**-** Kaname x Zero / Zero x Kaname._  
**06 : Decency_ -_**_ Rido, Juri and Haruka_  
**07 : Sneaking up on you -** _Kaname x Zero_  
**08 : Prey_ -_**_ Kaname, Aidou and ? (Guess who the third character is, as you read. :D)_  
**09 : His happiness_ -_**_ Guess who the two characters are, as you read. :D  
_**10 : Parting gift -** _Zero, Kaname, Yuuki.  
_**11 : Bite _- _**_Zero x Kaname / Kaname x Zero  
_**12 : Dangerous visits _- _**_Kaname, chairman Cross, little Yuuki. Mentions of Ichiou and Takuma.  
_**13 : Precious Memory**_ - Guess who the two children are, as you read. :D  
_**14 : Drowning** _- Rido, mentions of Juri, Haruka, Ichiou etc.  
_**15 : Unlikely hero** _- Rido, baby Kaname, Juri and Haruka.  
_**16 : Puppeteer** _- Shizuka, Zero, Ichiru.  
_**17 : Much too late** _- Rido, Juri, a bit of Kaname and Haruka.  
_**18 : Our Children **_- Kaien x Juri + Kaien being fatherly towards little Kaname and Yuuki.  
_**19 : Zero** -_ Kaname x Yuuki ... and "Zero"... ;)  
_**20 : Watching you sleep** _- Kaname x Zero / Zero x Kaname fluff.  
_**21 : A pureblood's seed -**_ Kaname x Aidou, narrated from Aidou's POV.  
_**22 : Waiting for you -**_ Zero x Kaname with a twist... ;)  
_**23 : Blood tablets -**_ Aidou, blood tablets and, indirectly, Kaname. :)  
_**24 : A child on the chessboard -** _Politics with Aidou's father and Kaname.  
_**25 : Daybreak -** _Akatsuki + Aidou + Luca. Mentions of Kaname also._

Additional warnings like pairings, spoilers etc. are listed at the beginning of each drabble when necessary. :D

I'll be adding the new stories to this collection as I write them.

I hope you'll enjoy them!


	2. 01 : Echo

_**#: 01  
Title: Echo.  
Characters:** __Kaname. (Mentions of Rido, Haruka, Juri and Yuuki.)_

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
**Warnings:** Implied spoilers for chapter 35 or the manga, possibly. (At least in my blurb after the fic.)_

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The voices still echoed on the back of his mind, some days.

Juri's screaming. Haruka's growling. The dark, damp basement filled with torture tools, and that horrid device he had been tied to for what felt like an eternity… It all came through a veil of dizziness as if he was lost in a fog and couldn't quite perceive things around him properly.

And, of course, that lewd voice that he would never forget, grating on his ears. Rido.

"_You two are a little late... You know, I had just planned to break him and take him from you, but he did look so very much like you, Juri... how could I possibly resist?"_

Kaname tried to block the memories from his mind, touching his forehead to the tiled wall of the shower stall, clenching his fists and letting the hot water run down his body, desperately focusing on anything that might help him not hear the disgusting laughter of the older pureblood echoing in his mind over and over.

Even so many years later, he could never forget that lecherous laughter. Or the look on Haruka and Juri's faces when they untied him and took him home, a mix of pity and disgust that they tried so hard to conceal under a display of concern, but didn't quite manage to hide well enough.

He scrubbed his skin harder with the soap, his nails leaving a web of red welts behind. Tears that he refused to shed welled up, stinging his burning eyes.

Even now, there were still days where no matter how much he washed himself, he could never feel clean.

Kaname may be unable to kill him, but he would die sooner than let that monster ever approach Yuuki.  
He would do anything it may take to ensure that she would be protected, no matter what the cost may be for himself.

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_Sagakure, July 30th 2008_

_._

_While I don't think that Rido raped Kaname in the manga, he certainly must have done something terribly traumatic to him in the process of tearing his soul apart or whatever it is that he did to break the boy and replace/mix him with the ancestor and all that._

_Knowing that, it's not surprising that Kaname was willing to do anything to ensure that Yuuki would have a shield to protect her from Rido, even if that meant he had to submit himself to have an ex-human (and one who hates him at that) drink his blood, and so on._

_I had the idea for this fic from the fact that it's more or less implied in the series that Rido kidnapped him at some point, and we know how much Rido is lecherous-looking, and the thing he has for people who look like Juuri, which happens to be the case for Kaname too..._

_In fact, considering how Rido is, and that we know he's done something terrible to Kaname at one point or another, it amazes me that there's not heaps of non-con Rido x Kaname fanfiction out there. (Whether with Rido x the ancestor in his original body or Rido x current Kaname.)_

_It's same for Ichiou x Kaname, it's canon that Ichiou lusts after Kaname to the point of barely being able to control himself, (and also that Kaname was forced to live under Ichiou's roof for years, against his will and forced to do things he didn't want to) and yet there's barely any fanfiction.  
I hope more people will write for those pairings. XD; (Especially since Kaname stayed at Ichiou's place until he was grown up and left for Cross Academy, so there could perfectly be yaoi of it without it having to be when Kaname was younger.)_


	3. 02 : A bad lie for a good reason

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_Second drabble in my series of unrelated short stories with various VK characters. :D _

_**#: 02  
Title: A bad lie for a good reason.  
Characters:** Zero, Ichiru. (Mentions of Kaname also.)_

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
**Warnings:** Implied spoilers for chapter 30 or the manga, possibly._

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"You are a hypocrite, Zero."

The hunter turned around to face the one who had just insulted him, eyebrows creasing questioningly at the accusation.

The man in front of him had the same face, same eyes, same voice… but slightly longer hair. Ichiru gazed at Zero with a condescending look, unfazed by his older twin's glare.

"After all you've said of my relationship with Shizuka-sama, you go and take a pureblood lover."

Zero's face twisted with a mix of shock and disgust at the unfounded accusation.

"That's a lie or a gross misconstruction, Ichiru!!"

"Is that so, really? Every other night you slip into his private chambers at the wee hours of dawn, through the window, and return a while later, visibly looking relieved. How is this a misconstruction of the truth?!"

Zero's face fell. He couldn't reveal the truth, of course. That the secret meetings were for him to drink Kaname's blood. That it was because they had an agreement and a common purpose. Because Kuran would stave off his madness and let him prey on his blood as long as he didn't touch Yuuki's blood anymore.

It was a forbidden thing, even more so between a pureblood and an ex-human. If it was known, the vampire society would be outraged and inevitably would wreak havoc upon the school, hell bent on catching and tearing apart the tainted being that defiled their precious prince. Kuran himself would suffer consequences, for submitting himself to something so degrading and wasteful for them. A pureblood was sacred at the eyes of the other vampires, but precisely because they had so much power and so much importance, it was dangerous for one of them to use it in a way that the council disagreed with. Hadn't they declared Shizuka mad and hunted her down precisely because her use of her powers put the balance of their society in danger?

While Zero wanted to believe he didn't care for whatever may happen to Kuran, the truth was that he felt indebted to Kaname and wouldn't risk betraying him after what the older vampire sacrificed to him, even if ultimately both were merely allies of occasion, working together just for Yuuki's sake. Just like Kaname kept Zero alive for Yuuki, Zero wasn't about to endanger Kaname either, for the same reasons.

Zero may refuse as much as possible his vampire nature, but he wasn't a fool, and knew well the consequences his words could have, and the taboo that Kuran's blood could represent. Ichiru had far too close ties with the council.

But it wasn't uncommon for ex-humans to service the higher ranks of the vampire society. A pureblood wouldn't stoop to taking someone of such low rank as an actual lover, but then again, Zero wasn't just a level D, he was also a hunter. Either way, the council would just close their eyes over the matter, assuming it was most likely a mere inconsequential affair stemming from the young pureblood's curiosity, or something of the such. A pureblood could very much satisfy their desires with whoever they wished without having to answer to anyone.

So, with his face burning in absolute shame, Zero retorted "I will bed whoever I want, Ichiru! It's none of your business!!" before turning around and striding away, mortification sweeping through his body at the obscene lie he had just had to tell his own brother, to protect the delicate balance of this precious haven of peace.

As he walked away, the hunter couldn't help but think that perhaps he understood a little what Kuran must feel like whenever the pureblood found himself forced to manoeuver around the dangerous politics of the vampire society and its many lies and unpleasant obligations.  
Zero may hate Kuran most of the time, but he felt an inevitable twinge of sympathy at the thought, albeit slightly deterred by his rising anger at the idea that his brother –and possibly soon a whole lot of the bloodsuckers – would be thinking he was Kuran's bed warmer.

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The End.

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Sagakure, August 02 2008

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In this one, they're not lovers, but in many of my other plot bunnies...hahahaha! ;D


	4. 04 : Two halves of a whole

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Fourth story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous three. :D

_**#: 04  
Title: Two halves of a whole.  
Characters:**__ Kiryuu twins. _

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warnings:**__ Implied spoilers for recent chapters of the manga._

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It's funny how the whole world could turn upside down, your life could be completely torn to pieces and thrown to the wind, everything you knew and everything you thought you had could be flipped inside out, and in the end, even years later, you may still find yourself back in the very same spot you left from, wondering how in the hell was that possible, considering just how many things changed.

His brother… his twin, the flesh of his flesh.

_Didn't people say twins were a same and single entity in two bodies?_

What a joke, they couldn't be farther from each other, the two of them, as different as blood and water, especially now.

And yet, despite the treason, despite the hatred, despite the scorn, the envy, the pain and fear and loss of everything… he still loved his brother. He missed him so badly, he yearned for him with all his being.

So many things had happened during those years… bad ones and good ones. _Like meeting her_…  
But in the end, they were both left alone, his twin and him, and he found himself at the same spot he had left from, in his heart.

He spent so many years trying so hard to convince himself that he hated him, that he wouldn't forgive him, and yet… in the end, he had been fooling himself all along, he loved him with all his being.  
To think that what he claimed to be a lie for so long turned out to be the truth in the end… what did that make him? _Failing in my lies even when I lie to myself._

But it was okay. It didn't matter anymore, the lies, the pain, the failed attempts to hate his other half.

He just had to push himself a little bit further, and he'd make it to the basement. He just had to manage to get there before dying.

He would finally be one with Zero again, like they were in the womb, before it all went so horribly wrong.

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The End.

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_Sagakure, August 18th 2008_

_._

_I wanted to write this so that it sounds like it's about Zero at first, but then, it turns out it's Ichiru.  
The turning point should be the part about him lying to himself. Because Ichiru claimed he hated Zero, when in truth, he didn't. He hated the fact his parents prefered Zero, and he may have tried to hate Zero, but we know that in the end, he failed at that and still loved Zero. :)_


	5. 05 : Safeword

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Fifth story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous four. :D

_**#: 05  
Title: Safeword.  
Characters:**__ Kaname and Zero. Yaoi._

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warnings:**__ Yaoi, but it's just blood drinking._

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In a way, it was as if they had a secret code. It worked far better than a safeword.

Whenever Zero's bloodlust spiked a bit too high and Kaname felt uncomfortable with the way the ex-human pillaged his neck harder and harder in a demanding increase of domination bordering on brutality, the pureblood would close his lips on the skin of Zero's neck or shoulder before letting the very tip of his fangs extend and prick lightly into the hunter's skin.

The jolt of surprise and automatic shock would instantly snap Zero's mind back to reality.

Most normal vampires would lust for a pureblood's bite and welcome it with awed delight, even more so if they had with him the type of relationship Zero had with Kaname, but the hunter's bone deep revulsion for being bitten caused the opposite effect in him, instantly snapping his mind out of the bloodlust and bringing him crashing back into reality.  
Kaname would immediately let go as well, and return to his calm and encouraging self while Zero tried to make amends by licking the pureblood's neck clean of blood and soothing the puncture wounds while Kaname healed with his usual speed, still amazing Zero even after he'd seen it happen so many times.

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Sagakure, August 27th, 2008

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A shorter one for once! XD


	6. 06 : Decency

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_Sixth story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous five. :D_

_**#: 06  
Title: Decency.  
Characters:**__ Rido, Juri and Haruka_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warnings:**__ Spoilers, maybe. Though the fic itself isn't spoilery. The blurb at the end is theory for things that weren't covered in canon yet. XD;_

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_._

"You have no decency whatsoever, you degenerate!!"

The female face hovered over him, delicate and beautiful despite the obvious anger emanating from her as she leaned over his sleeping form, blocking the sunrise he had meant to watch but fell asleep partway through.

He opened an eye, taking in the situation and wondering what he'd done wrong this time.

"Hmm...? Why am I being insulted now? _Heeey_, lovely Juri, come here!" He reached for her but she backed away quickly, refusing his touch, knowing he would pull his usual seductive act and as always be a complete jerk about whatever it was that he was guilty of.

"The fact that you don't even know makes it all much worse! How dare you even ask!"

She stormed off away from the hill and into the forest between the mansion and them, perhaps by fear that if she stayed, she might say too much. Or fall for whatever _he_ may say, as it had often been the case before.

"Typical female nonsense. _'Boohoo, you're such an asshole, but there's no way I'm telling you what you did wrong this time.' _They're all the same, regardless of race and rank, huh, Haruka?"

Haruka, who was sitting a bit farther down the slope, turned back and shot Rido a shocked glance. _Why is he talking to me now?!_

They were both on the little hill at the edge of the woods near the Kuran mansion, watching the sunrise coloring the sky. It could be mesmerizing, all those different hues of a newborn light swallowing the night away while the ground still remained surprisingly dark for quite a while.  
Rido wasn't mesmerized though. He was drunk, and had dozed off on the ground on his back, his coat barely protecting him from the moisture of the ground. Haruka was sitting with his knees folded in front of him, admiring the nature with a melancholic look.

Rido's outfit was elegantly casual; a tailored white ruffled shirt partially open, dark slacks that matched his blucher shoes, and a brown coat -- he'd lost his jacket somewhere along the way.  
It was all crumpled by now, and vaguely stained with lipstick, wine and blood. Not his own, naturally.

Haruka's outfit was formal gala. He had untightened his tie a moment ago, but other than that, he seemed like he had just stepped out of a ball a moment before, his classic suit unmarred even after sitting on the grass.

Rido wondered when Haruka got there. He could swear he had been laying on the ground alone, earlier that evening. Or morning. _Or whatever._  
But then, he had been partying around, and had only gotten back to the Kuran estate not that long ago, stopping by the woods to watch the sunrise. Haruka probably just felt his presence and dropped by for whatever unfathomable reason that Rido's foggy mind didn't care for at the moment. The blood wine was nice and warm as it coursed through his veins –along with real blood, from a variety of high society vampire women who had thrown themselves at him throughout the evening, delighted to service him-- and altogether it made him comfortable despite the morning dew.

_Come to think of it, Juri was dressed extra nice too, what the hell is wrong with them?_

Rido frowned, but he was too tired to really care or to try to think too hard. He still did want to know though, and took to his advantage the fact that he was laying higher up on the slope than the spot where Haruka was sitting, which enabled him to reach Haruka with minimum effort. He kicked his brother on the leg with the tip of his foot. Haruka turned to shoot him an outraged glare and Rido chuckled. In the process, he nearly forgot what he was going to ask, lulled by the comfortable warmth of the wine and the blood. He remembered at the last second and straightened himself a little.

"Hey, why was she so pissed?"

Haruka's eyes widened in horror, before he rolled them upwards and looked away.

"It was her birthday Rido. Not any birthday, her _coming of age birthday._ It was important. There was a big party at the mansion. She was expecting her fiancé to be there, you know... _you!_"

_Oops._ No wonder he thought he might be forgetting something. He would have to complain to his mistresses later. Those fools should have warned him. A Kuran party no less, they had no excuses, they must have known and purposefully not reminded him. They would pay. Sometime. _If he remembered.  
_He couldn't be expected to remember all those petty little things, the idiots were supposed to keep track of things like that for him.

"Hey, is that why you are dressed all fancy too?"

Haruka turned back to stare at him in horror again.

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The end.

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_It may seem like I'm incredibly prolific today, but in truth, I'm merely finally posting some fics I've written over the past days/weeks, and that were sitting around waiting to be edited. XD lol_

_This one is intended to be both kind of comical and kind of revealing of how much Rido can be... annoying to live with. lol_

_Although his dangerously possessive side isn't revealed much here. I shall save it for another fic. lol_

_It's time that Haruka takes things into hands and approaches Juri more... (None of this is canon, at least not yet, but I have this theory that Juri was destined for Rido, but she decided to go for Haruka instead, and it resulted in his revenge on them and Kaname.)_


	7. 07 : Sneaking up on you

_Seventh story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous six. :D_

**#: 07  
Title:**_** "Sneaking up on you."**_**  
Characters:** Kaname & Zero (Yaoi, KxZ and ZxK, established relationship.)

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warnings:**__ None. Just fluff, whee! lol XD_

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As a pureblood vampire, Kaname had the ability to move without doing the slightest noise, if he so chose.

It was as if he was able to suppress the sound of his footsteps completely, on top of being able to mask his presence. After all, a pureblood was the vampire at its purest, very much the ultimate form of predator, so stealth was a natural part of the mix.

Now that Zero and he were living together, it was hard to resist the temptation, especially considering how entertaining Zero's reactions were where Kaname would sneak up on him… when the hunter didn't have the Bloody Rose nearby, that is.

Kaname learned the hard way during one of the first times that it was best not to sneak up on Zero when the latter was readying his weapons for work.

But even without purposefully trying to be stealthy, Kaname's footsteps were extremely silent when he was barefoot on their carpet. It was as if he weighted nothing at all, contrasting sharply with the musical clacking of the hard soles of his school uniform blucher shoes when he would walk along the old wooden corridors of Cross Academy.

Their social obligations and personal preferences made that the two lovers still kept opposite schedules. Zero was a full-fledged hunter now, rising among the hierarchy of the new Hunter Society and combining harsh missions with the daily work at their headquarters, for which he left each morning around the time when Kaname would normally have just crashed down in their bed and be deep asleep, dead tired from a whole day filled with various obligations with the vampire world and the reorganization of the Council.

But inevitably, each morning when Zero woke up to get ready to leave, the pureblood would get up too, to spend some extra time with his lover, regardless of how tired he was, or that he had just fallen asleep no more than an hour or two before at most.  
It was a hazy period of the day, made of a tired and sleepy pureblood and a just-awoken-and-still-groggy hunter, both stepping around each other drowsily and somewhat crankily.  
They had little enough time that they could spend together, so each minute had to be enjoyed, even if both of them were nearly asleep while Zero chugged down his breakfast and Kaname sat next to him trying to focus on the newspaper to avoid dozing off.

Kaname would usually just pay him company and wait until he left before going back to sleep. Zero had all sorts of things to prepare before leaving, and the pureblood -not used to being idle- would start to get tempted while he watched the hunter moving about...

Kaname had learned that his silent footsteps along with Zero being used to his presence could be a deadly combination, and for safety purposes he had taken the habit to make some noise to indicate his presence before walking into a room where the hunter was, especially when Zero was sleepy and might not have noticed his approach. Until then, a great many times Kaname had to dodge really fast after walking up to Zero undetected and hugging him from behind. It was a good thing that even when dead sleepy, the pureblood's reflexes were still faster than Zero's.

Although Zero's reactions in those cases were far too amusing for Kaname to give up altogether sneaking up on him every so often. Usually when Zero was preparing some food before leaving in the morning, or at other such inconspicuous moments.

The pureblood would sneak up to him and suddenly wrap his arms around the hunter's waist, usually burying his face in Zero's hair to inhale his scent, or worse, burying his face in the crook of Zero's neck, delighting in the warmth and the gentle pulsating heartbeats he could feel in the veins beneath his lips.

Inevitably, he'd have to hold onto the hunter's arms until Zero's initial explosive reaction wore off and he realized it was just Kaname.

The pureblood did feel some measure of guilt when his lover complained earnestly about his habit, but surprising Zero was just too much fun to stop, and the delicious scent of his neck was just irresistible. Kaname loved sucking on the hunter's skin gently, nipping on it and leaving a trail of hickeys until Zero finally shoved him off and moved on with his daily preparations, a flush on his face impossible to miss, making the pureblood chuckle fondly.

No, there was no way Kaname could give up that guilty pleasure…

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_Sagakure, August 28th 2008_

_._

_Some fluff instead of angst, for once! XD lol  
And it's kinda of Kaname x Zero rather than just Zero x Kaname too! XD (Kaname seme can be sexy also, even if personally I happen to find him so much more irresistibly delicious as uke, which results in so many of my fics having him as uke. X3  
I so wish more people wrote him as uke too... most often it's everybody writing him seme and Zero uke, while us fans of Zero seme x Kaname uke are left with so few fics. ;_; )_


	8. 08 : Prey

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_Eighth story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous seven. :D_

_**#: 07  
Title: "Prey."  
Characters:**__ Kaname, Aidou and ??_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
_**_Warnings:__ Spoilers for the Vampire Knight novel._**

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"Kaname-sama…" Aidou approached the pureblood's desk, and bowed his head deeply.

Kaname was sitting on the large leather chair behind the desk, and had his back to him, his gaze lost in the night sky showing through the tall windows of his office.

He allowed the chair to spin a half circle back and eyed Aidou in silence, knowing well what he wanted, but waiting to hear him say it, to see how he would word it.

Aidou had prepared what he wanted to tell the pureblood, he was sure of his words, he was a genius after all, but… now that the moment had came, he wasn't sure of how to begin, so he just tugged the hand of the human girl he'd brought all the way there, and lifted his palm, guiding her forward in an old-fashioned manner. Aidou kneeled onto one knee, bowing his head to Kaname again and pulling the girl down with him so she would kneel as well, choosing silence and an evident traditional gesture rather than an awkward explanation.

The girl hesitated a tidbit, unsure of how to act, surveying the surroundings and the ornate room a bit nervously as she wondered what would come next.

Aidou was still holding her hand in his and raised it towards Kaname. A traditional gesture among vampires, an offering of prey to one's lord, especially to a pureblood.

The human girl raised her eyes, met Kaname's reddened glare gleaming darkly in the dimly lit room, and looked away quickly, suppressing a shudder of surprise.

"You bring her to me, for me to feed on her blood, fully knowing I swore long ago I would never take human prey? What makes you think I would accept this dubious _gift_ you offer me?!"

There was a hint of barely veiled anger in Kaname's voice. His position over that matter had been well known for years. He was at the forefront of the pacific coexistence movement, and had more than enough reasons to refuse human prey. Even if many things had changed over the recent years, even if they were no longer all as idealistic as they were one day, his values were still unchanged.

Aidou cringed, fearing that reaction. Kaname knew his motives, but it was still a delicate subject.

No arguments of logic could win in a case like that, so Aidou did what his heart dictated to him instead of his mind. He got up suddenly and bridged the distance between them, putting his hands on the pureblood's desk and leaning closer to Kaname, pleading earnestly. "Please, Kaname-sama, please… I know that I could never wish to have the right to demand anything of you, but… I beg of you. Take her. I can't do it, you know it. You are the only one. You… you know how I feel… how I felt back then, when Fuuka…" He hesitated and his voice died down, but there was no going back, and he met the pureblood's eyes with the full intensity of his gaze as he whispered "I don't ever want to feel that pain again, Kaname-sama… Hate me forever if you must, for my impudence in daring to ask you for your blood… but please, please take her."

There were tears in Aidou's eyes, and Kaname's heart softened instantly at the sight. Whatever his values may say, whatever promises he had made to himself, he couldn't help but feel a deep pang of pain in his heart at the intense anguish in the aura of his dear friend.

There were many reasons why he didn't want to do this, one of them being that he considered that his blood, every single drop of it, belonged entirely to Yuuki, and he didn't want to give any to anyone else if he could avoid it. But did he really have the right to refuse, when he knew well he was the only one who could do this for Aidou?

Sighing deeply, the pureblood got up and circled around the desk, his gaze lost looking past them while he finally made up his mind.

Aidou was stiff as a board, waiting to see what Kaname would do, and he felt a maelstrom of emotions invade his body at the realization that Kaname had accepted; an inevitable tiny pang of jealousy lost in the recesses of instinctive reactions, but filling his whole heart was an immense gratitude. No words would ever be enough for him to express how thankful he felt to Kaname, as he saw the pureblood offer the human girl a hand before pulling her up.

Kaname and the girl looked at each other for a little, the pureblood smiling reassuringly and holding her gaze as if he politely asked permission before moving, and the girl responding with a shy little smile of acknowledgement, moving closer to him indicating that she knew what she was there for, and what he was about to do to her.

Then, Yori pulled aside her short hair to offer him her neck, and Kaname sank his fangs into it, sealing her fate and making her a creature of the night.

.

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* * *

_._

_**Do not read this blurb if you don't want to be fully spoiled for the VK novel (the Aidou story in the first one):**_

_Fuuka was a character in the first VK novel, a Day Class girl who becomes an ex-human vampire due to being bitten by a random pureblood after she almost died in an accident elsewhere, and who is in love for Kaname (who doesn't has any feelings for her, of course), and then, for Aidou as they get to know each other.  
Aidou had to kill her as she was falling to level E. He felt so miserable he swore he would never have anything to do with ex-humans again. (That way, no more pain like that…)_

_In this fic, unrelated to the novel plot other than for the brief mention of Fuuka, Aidou fell in love for Yori at last, so he is in a difficult situation… She's human, and her life will be but a quick spring followed by an early winter coming much too fast, compared to his life expectancy. And if she was just turned, she would be ex-human and fall to level E eventually. So their love is doomed… unless Kaname turned her and gave her his blood, since then she would be a normal level C vampire and have a normal life with Aidou without level E issues.  
__Which is why Aidou and Yori came to Kaname, asking him to take her, and, of course, to also give her his blood, which he does, for Aidou.  
__So, happy end. XD lol_

_Sorry if it was a bit confusing, it might be weird if you haven't read the novel. Also, I wanted the beginning to be a bit strange, where you're not sure if Aidou really did bring a girl as prey for Kaname or what, until he mentions his feelings, and we eventually find out it's Yori. :)_

_In the VK manga, Aidou and Yori don't have anything going on (as of now anyway XD), they just finally met up closer and talked a few times and that's it, but people have been shipping them together for a while due to scans of the novel being spread around the internet and western fans who saw those without the story, thinking Fuuka was Yori, because both have light short hair. :X  
But there seems to be some chemistry between Aidou and Yori , from the times they met, so they could totally work as a pairing. X3_


	9. 09 : His happiness

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_Ninth story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous eight. :D_

**#: 09  
Title:**_** "His happiness."**_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warnings:**__ Spoilers for recent chapters of the manga. The situation in the fic never happened, but there are mentions of enemies and a talk that did take place._

* * *

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.

The enemy vampires circled around them, relentless in their attack, wave after wave of apparently never ending determination.

She was tiring down more and more, and feared the moment when she'd have lost too much blood and her reflexes would start to fail her; the moment when she would no longer be able to protect as effectively the treasure entrusted to her by a most unexpected fate.

They had been expecting an attack, but not for another several weeks. The enemy had changed his plans and attacked the school much sooner than he had originally meant to, it seemed. As a result, it happened even sooner than Kaname-sama had expected, and they were all caught by surprise. Things had ran out of control to a terrible point, and he was currently facing in battle a nightmare came from the past, his uncle that the others had hoped had died long ago.

A mix of sweat and her own blood ran down her face, stinging her eyes; she blinked it away, not losing her focus on the enemies cornering them. She struck again, and they fell, one after the other, but more kept coming.

She realized that she may not live to see the end of the day, but she was strangely peaceful. Because he had talked to her before the end, and he had told her that he trusted her.

The frail human girl behind her back was leaning against the wall, half conscious, but still perfectly alive and barely hurt.  
She would make sure it stayed that way. She was ready to die a million deaths to protect the girl from any harm.

Because that girl was the very thing that she would never be able to be. That frail human girl was _Kaname-sama's happiness_.

And as such, she was more precious than anything else in the world.

Let the waves of enemies come. Luca was ready to fight them to the very last.

.

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* * *

_Luca is lovely, and needs more fic time. XD_


	10. 10 : Parting Gift

_Tenth story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous nine. :D_

**#: 10  
Title: Parting gift.**

**Characters: Zero, Kaname, Yuuki.**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warnings:**__ Deathfic. Also, spoilers for chapter 35 or the manga, and mentions of Rido. _

* * *

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This was it, he thought as he felt the dry, dusty ground drinking up his blood avidly as it seeped from his broken form, blooming into a rapidly growing pool of crimson around his soon-to-be lifeless body.

_This misery will finally be over._

His silver eyes stared partially unseeing at the stormy sky above him, wondering if it was still this world or if it was hell already. _Surely he'd go to hell, wouldn't he? After all he did, all that happened… _Ichiru and him were both cursed, and would probably be together in their final destination, but the way Zero viewed things, Ichiru might still have a chance, even despite the betrayal of their family – he didn't.  
The way Zero saw it, he stole it all from Ichiru and caused the whole wheel of tragedy to set itself in motion. If somebody was going to hell, it was him.

He was glad he could do at least one good thing before he died. Rido was dead, by the combined efforts of Kaname and him, and so Yuuki would be finally safe. They had both been badly wounded, but Kaname's pureblood healing had kicked in with the usual speed, and he stood up fine after the battle, wounds closing already as if nothing had happened. Zero was not so resilient, for which he was actually grateful, as it meant the end of this horrible curse would finally come._ Yuuki will be happy with Kuran. There's no need for me to exist in this world anyway._

Except that things were far from being as simple as they were in his ideal vision. That was the way he had hoped things would end. But reality was not so perfect. Yuuki wasn't happy, she was torn between her feelings for the both of them, and she was trapped in her human vision of things, refusing to accept her vampire nature and denying herself her love for Kaname, for the sake of human preconceived ideas and taboos that didn't apply to pureblood genetics.

And when the hunter fell, there was no perfect ending as he had envisioned it, no final moment where everyone could turn their backs and forget his accursed existence, as he had hoped.

Instead, he heard the desperate cries of Yuuki, as Kaname picked her up gently and carried her away from the gory battlefield. She had no care for the fact that she was wounded too, or that she was weaker than Kaname and thus needed blood and immediate care for her wounds. All she could think of was the dying hunter on the ground, and she cried out his name over and over, begging him to stay alive.

But it was much too late, Zero's body was broken beyond repair even for his vampire healing, and his mind was slipping away. He was much too tired of living, of this bloodthirsty curse, of depending on everybody's blood, either taking it by force from others or feeling horribly indebted to those who offered it. He would not take from Yuuki again, and he didn't want to owe anything more to Kaname.

He wanted out, he couldn't stand one more second of this bloody agony. He only forced himself to live this far so that he could fulfill his chosen duty of protecting Yuuki to the end. _She was safe now. He was no longer needed._

He just wished he could die without her grieving him, so that she would not suffer. But not even that last little wish would be granted.

His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, until they fluttered closed, all his senses fading progressively, the sound disappearing first. He couldn't hear Yuuki anymore, he couldn't even smell the blood in the air anymore –_blessed feeling of finally being rid of that horrid stench that had clung to him from the very day Shizuka tore his life apart._

Only the feeling of his blood leaving his body, staining the ground all around him was still present, as he grew colder and colder.

And then, the unexpected feeling of careful hands on his shoulders, someone kneeling next to him, gently propping his head onto their leg, and fumbling around pulling aside what tattered shreds where left of his shirt, uncovering his chest as if there was any chance of repairing the damage on it. _Who had returned to the battlefield? It was nothing but a waste of time, they should just leave his carcass where it lay._

He thought he had completely lost his hearing already, but he must have been wrong, unless the voice he heard now was in a dream. Pulling together the last remnants of what little strength he had left, Zero opened his eyes weakly to see who was talking to him. It had felt like Yuuki, for a moment, but it wasn't her. Kaname was leaning over him, holding him.

"_**Kiryuu… this is a gift only a pureblood can give."**_

The words came through to him muffled and indistinct as if the two of them were both under water, but Zero heard the pureblood clearly, even if he didn't understand what he was saying. Kaname's face was filled with an immense sadness, but a grave determination shone through. He pulled the hunter's broken body towards himself, as if into an embrace. Zero would have stiffened if he still had any control left, but as it was, he could barely widen his eyes in surprise. _What games was Kuran playing?!_

There was no sound whatsoever around them, just a still emptiness, as if everything had been replaced by a bubble of nothing surrounding the two of them and locking them away from the whole rest of the world. Zero wondered if he had already died and wasn't in the same world anymore. But Kaname was there with him, so that wasn't possible. He didn't know where Yuuki was now, but the knowledge that the war was over and she was finally safe was all that mattered for him. He could finally focus a little on himself, and accept the much welcome death that he so yearned for, to finally be free of the horrible thirst that had been a constant torture, his own personal hell for the past several years. He sobbed softly, but his body didn't have the strength to move anymore, so it came out as mere little choking breaths of abused lungs that were about to cease functioning soon.

And then, a warm drop of something fell on his cheek. He couldn't smell it to identify what it was, but it rolled down onto the corner of his mouth and he somehow tasted it. _Kuran's blood?_

Another drop then, and another. A succession of them, picking up speed, until rivulets of blood started pouring down onto Zero's broken frame.

"Ku…Kuran…" But he didn't have enough strength to speak more, to ask what was going on, what in the world was the pureblood thinking, or doing.

Kaname's arms were still holding the hunter tightly against his chest, but their grip was slowly weakening. Despite his fading perceptions, Zero could feel the pureblood's body trembling slightly, either from effort or from pain. They sank down, Kaname's legs giving way and shifting onto a sitting position, still holding the hunter. Zero was surprised to notice that he could open his eyes without effort now. His body was shaking slightly too, fighting between the clutches of death and an immense power that was filling him, seeping straight from the pureblood's rapidly flowing blood.

"Kuran… what are you doing?!"

He could speak now, but Kaname didn't reply, just holding onto him as tight as he could, as if he feared his grip might slip otherwise. And the blood, the blood was everywhere, the world was turning red as far as Zero could tell.

"Kuran, let go!! Let go now! What are you doing?!"

"Ki…ryuu… Yuuki… Yuuki chose you. This is my parting gift…" The pureblood choked, a trickle of blood coming out from the corner of his mouth as he coughed, his arms convulsing against the hunter's back as he tried to find enough strength to finish what he still wanted to say.

"The next time you wake up, you won't remember any of this, but you'll be free from this curse... you'll be free from everything that prevented you from going on living… you… Please… take care of her… for me…"

And then, there was nothing but blood, a world of blood, everywhere, swallowing the sky and Zero's mind alike.

--

The silver haired boy struggled in the middle of the crowd, trying to get closer to the wall without being rude or push people around. Most the other students ignored him, shoving each other to get closer to the board and get done faster. He was still a bit too shy to do that, especially considering it was his first time in a crowd._ Well, that he could remember, that is._ Everything was new for him.

He looked at the tall board with the class groups and schedules, running his eyes through the various lists looking for his class number to confirm that his name was in the right group.

He spotted the number he was looking for, and squinted to read the lines that were almost by the ceiling. _Ah, there it was. The chairman had told him this would be his class._

He just had to figure out in which building it was. He was a bit nervous, not having yet quite learned the layout of the school before the classes started. _Cross academy is so big. I'll never find my way among so many buildings!_

He would have liked to wander around the academy memorizing the place before classes started, but he didn't have time to do it yet. It was already amazing he could enroll so soon. The chairman had originally told him he didn't have to start until the next term because he was still pretty much learning how to do everything, even basic daily life things. But it was humiliating to be so dependent, and the boy also felt bad for imposing so much on the chairman, regardless of the fact that the man was now officially his adoptive father.  
Cross had told him that he didn't have to worry, and that he always wanted to have children, but still, to open his house so easily to an unknown boy with no memories, and to completely take care of him not asking for anything in return, that chairman really was something. He'd even given him a name, "Zero".  
'_Because you have no memories or past, so it's a fitting name!' _the man had explained with his usual over-the-top cheerful manner.

Strangely, the name felt familiar, and the boy had quickly gotten used to it.

Zero flipped through the notes his adoptive father had given him with all the reminders of things to check and to do to get ready for class, wondering with worry where half those buildings were._ I have to pick up my books, go confirm my class schedule…then… ahh!! So many more things!!  
_He almost regretted having insisted that the chairman don't do it all for him. He wanted to do it himself, but he felt pretty lost at the moment.

His thoughts were interrupted suddenly when the crowd stopped shoving each other around and instead moved aside, parting in an organized manner among admiring whispers and delighted little squeals.

"It's Kuran-sama from the Night Class!"

"Such beauty! There's no one in the Day Class who could rival such loveliness!"

"If only Kuran-sama would look at me!!"

The Day Class students were entranced, girls and boys alike blushing and ogling in worshipping admiration as the powerful figure in a pristine white uniform walked through the crowd and approached the board, movements graceful and fluid.

_Oh wow. Someone from the Night class. I thought they only had class by night? _

Zero hadn't even seen any of them yet, he just knew from what the chairman told him that they were elite students.  
And that person wasn't just any of them, but the Moon Dorm president, and Class president of the Night class. Zero watched in admiration and his face colored when he realized that he'd been caught staring --Kuran looked at him and smiled warmly, stretching a hand towards him.

"The chairman told me you would be getting ready today, so I came to give you a tour of the school and show you the places you'll need to go to before classes start."

Zero's jaw dropped, about the same time the jaws of all the other students in the crowd did the same. They stared at him with envious shock, and it took him a certain time to get over his surprise and take the offered hand, shaking it while he ran his other hand through his hair, trying to shake off his nervousness.  
"Ah, I'm so sorry for the trouble! You didn't have to! I... I'm Zero Cross." He wasn't quite used to his full name yet, simple as it may be. Most of the time, he just stayed inside, so he only got to hear the chairman calling him by his first name. This was his first time introducing himself to someone.

"It's no problem at all, I'm delighted to get to know you. The chairman told me a lot about you ever since he took you in." Kuran's delicate lips curved upwards into that warm smile again, and Zero couldn't help but stare once more.

"Oh, did he? I... I remember he told me that the Kurans and him go back a long way."

"We do indeed." She was smiling, but her eyes had a deep sadness in them, that flashed for a moment then was hidden just as fast. "You probably already knew, but since we hadn't been introduced yet, I'm Yuuki Kuran."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Kuran-sama." Nervous as the boy may be, his manners were perfect – the chairman had taught him well.

She chuckled softly and held onto his elbow, pulling him away from the board and guiding him towards the exit, the crowd parting for them with looks of adoration towards her and of envy towards him as they passed.

"Just call me Yuuki, please! Come on, I'll show you the place. I'd very much like if we could become friends."

Zero was amazed that a person like that would be so warm to him, when the other students didn't seem to find anything out of the normal in him – they weren't mean, but none had acted like he was anything above the ordinary, just another random new student.

Unless the whole Night Class was as unexpectedly friendly as she was, but he doubted it was the case.

But the surprise quickly gave way to a comforting warmth, and a strange feeling that he didn't have to worry, that he could just let go and trust that person, as if he'd known her since always. So he just went along, listening to her explanations and taking the first steps into his brand new life.

For the first time since he woke up without his memories, he didn't really worry much about the fact that he didn't have a past, since the future ahead didn't look so bad.

.

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* * *

_;-; OH, DEPRESSING FIC. I can't believe I wrote a Kaname deathfic. T-T_

_I usually mostly ship Zero x Kaname, but I also love the trio together and various combinations of them with Yuuki either in het or bi situations. XD;  
__Kaname is so devoted to Yuuki and so unable to live without her that I think he might have done something like that, if he thought Yuuki preferred Zero, and he wanted to give him a chance and save him from the level E stuff and all, for Yuuki. ;-;  
Assuming that ritual works on non-purebloods, which we don't know. XD;;_

_The second part was just going to be an epilogue of a few lines, but it ended up growing longer. The apparent normalcy of it bugs me a bit because it's a slow down after the dramatic first part, but I meant for it to be bittersweet and make the realization of Kaname's sacrifice sink deeper for us._

_I hesitated between making the second part the way it became, or having a memory-less Zero being attacked by a vampire and rescued by Yuuki. XD; lol Then the mirror dynamic with Kaname & Yuuki would have been perfect._

_And yes, Cross & co. wiped out everybody's memories about Zero so that he could start with a clean slate. I'm thinking the Day class would be needing a general memory wipe after the whole battle nearby etc anyway, so yeah. XD_


	11. 11 : Bite

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_Eleventh story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous ten. :D_

_**#: 11**_

_**Title: Bite**_

_**Characters: **__Zero x Kaname / Kaname x Zero (established relationship - yaoi)_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warnings:**__ None. _

* * *

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The summer night was hot, but a refreshing little breeze was gently coming in from the garden, making the heat bearable and almost pleasant rather than uncomfortable.  
It was so rare to have such a peaceful moment together without having to worry about anything else.

Zero was never one to accept that the chairman could sometimes have good ideas, but even he had to admit that this had been one of them. He grudgingly made a mental note for himself to thank the man when they returned to the academy.

When the chairman had heard that Kaname would be traveling to this distant region for a vampire party in which he hoped to meet people who could prove useful for their ideal of peace and coexistence among vampires and humans, Cross booked a room for two in a traditional hotel, and asked Zero to tag along with Kaname. Officially it was so that he would be the pureblood's bodyguard during the trip, but in truth it was because Cross knew about their relationship, and how hard it could be for Kaname and Zero to find a moment of calm together with so many eyes glued on the pureblood.

The hotel was a _ryokan_, in the most perfect traditional Japanese style, with large rooms of tatami floor and thick comfy futons to sleep on --or to do other interesting things that were not always easy to do at the Moon Dorm without risking to attract unwanted attention.

Zero had never been in a place like that, be it in a hotel or a house, although Kaname was more used to that style of decoration.  
Ichiou's mansion, for instance, had a whole wing built in the traditional manner, which had at first turned Kaname off that style of architecture, but being with Zero in the _ryokan_ made everything different.

It would be morning soon, and they had just finished eating dinner in their room –after a whole afternoon and night without exiting the hotel due to both being much to engrossed with each other to find a moment to explore the city.  
They were currently enjoying the peace and the calm while sitting on the tatami in front of an open sliding door leading to the outer veranda and the beautiful garden.  
Stone lamps and tiny little pine trees were most of what they would have been able to see of it for now if they were human. As it was not the case, their vampire sight allowed them to see pretty much everything as well as if it was day and to even detect instantly the little shapes of nocturnal animals hopping farther away among the harmoniously arranged little bushes and paths around a small lake surrounded by willow trees. Fireflies appeared from time to time, flying around a few last flights before the morning would finally come and light up the sleepy garden.

Tired from the trip and from the very pleasant activities with Zero, Kaname was gently dozing off, one leg pulled up in front of his chest so that he could lean his head on his knee. Zero had slept much of the trip –unlike Kaname, he didn't have qualms about sleeping in trains—and was fully awake, fondly watching his lover as the pureblood's eyelids seemed to grow more and more heavy.  
Kaname noticed him at last and addressed him a tired smile before his eyes closed again and he dozed off once more.

Zero chuckled and continued watching him, admiring and almost trying to memorize each little detail of his beautiful face, the graceful curve of his neck, the soft silky curls of hair spilling over it and down each side of it, leaving the back of it free in a most tempting manner. The fact that Kaname was barely wearing anything didn't help in making anything less tempting, but Zero was also a bit tired from earlier and just went on looking at Kaname, unable to hold back a smile at the sight of how innocent the pureblood looked when asleep. So much power and strength in such a beautiful body, manly but still undeniably delicate. In moments when Kaname looked so open and unguarded, Zero almost couldn't believe they had been such bitter rivals at one point.

Apparently, the hunter wasn't the only one to find that Kaname's pale skin looked definitely too tempting. A mosquito flew in from the garden, went past the hunter without showing the slightest interest, and circled around the pureblood.

Zero stared lazily, wondering if he should defend his lover or let him deal with it. Kaname seemed to be deeper asleep now, and Zero couldn't help a certain, inevitable curiosity… _Do mosquitos bite vampires? _

He had been bitten before, but it was hardly a significant proof, he was en ex-human and kept many of his human traits.

The mosquito circled again, before landing softly on the uncovered spot on the back of the pureblood's neck. Zero's eyes widened and he paid close attention, waiting to see what it would do.

_More importantly, do mosquitos bite purebloods?! And if so, what happens?_

The insect took a few steps, turning around and moving its wings almost rhythmically, then its paws likewise once or twice, as if following a ritual it was used to before biting, maybe trying to ascertain whether the coast was clear, or perhaps searching for the best spot.

Zero was as unmoving as a statue, not wanting to spook it and miss the chance to see what would happen.

The mosquito's back legs moved a few more times before it apparently decided which place was best to bite, and lowered itself, its stylet piercing the skin in a swift motion.

Kaname made a tiny little noise, his head lolling to the side on his knee in response to the feeling, but he didn't wake up, and the insect started drinking normally.

_That was unexpected…_

For some reason, Zero had been sure that Kaname would wake up.  
Perhaps it was how huge of a taboo a pureblood's blood was in vampire society that made it seem to shocking. Or perhaps, it was a stronger feeling, coming from a hidden area in Zero's subconscious: a deep jealousy at the idea that someone else, even an insect would take Kaname's blood. Zero still strongly rejected his vampire urges and instincts and would never openly admit to feeling that way, but deep inside, he couldn't help a little feeling that Kaname's blood belonged to him alone.

He automatically leaned in closer to see. A part of him half-expected the mosquito to drop dead on its own, the power in Kaname's blood being too much for its body to absorb. Another part almost expected it to develop super powers and mutate or something, although he knew better than think it would really be the case – if such a thing was possible, the earth would be covered in strange creatures having drank from pureblood vampires since times long gone.

Zero peered in closely, holding his breath. The mosquito was drinking calmly, as if nothing was amiss, and the hunter had an inevitable urge to crush it for its insolence.

The pang of jealousy was now strong enough that it was much more difficult to remain in denial about his vampiric instincts of ownership over his lover's blood.

Right as the hunter was reaching with the idea of smiting the offending insect, Kaname opened his eyes and stared at him suddenly, distracting him of his murderous intentions.

"What's going on?"

The mosquito was gone, the little interruption and Kaname's movement having been enough for it to escape without Zero seeing when it had flown away. Kaname was looking sleepy and staring at the hunter wondering why he looked so serious; in turn, Zero was having trouble _staying_ serious with his lover looking so innocently at him, cheeks still lightly flushed from sleep and his full lips semi-parted and looking so inviting.

Kaname rubbed his neck with a shocked look and mumbled "I think something bit me."

_Too much._

Zero threw himself over him, pinning the pureblood onto his back on the ground and raining hungry kisses on his face and neck, while Kaname –still half-asleep but getting awake faster by the minute— could do nothing but gasp in delight.

"_I_'ll bite you!!"

.

.

The end.

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A happier ficlet to make up for the sad one last time. XD lol


	12. 12 : Dangerous visits

_

* * *

_

Twelfth story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous eleven.

_**#: 12**_

_**Title: Dangerous visits**_

_**Characters: **__Kaname, chairman Cross, little Yuuki. Mentions of Ichiou and Takuma._

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it._

_**Warnings: **__**NOT FLUFF. **__**Angsty mentions of rape, torture and abuse. **__Skip if it bothers you. It's just mentions, nothing is detailed, but it's still a heavy subject._

* * *

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The chairman sat back down on the couch, a cheerful grin on his face as he addressed his young visitor.

"Kaname-kun, would you be able to come next month too? Yuuki has a school play and it's in the evening, so she is really looking forward and hoping you'll come and see her!"

Kaname paused suddenly, his tea cup's movement frozen in mid air as he was about to take a sip from it. A shudder ran up his back._ Next month? To come here again so soon?_

"I… I'm not sure. It's difficult to slip out of their watch so often."

He had just arrived, and they were having tea while waiting for little Yuuki to be done with school.

"I can only imagine. They're very determined to keep you under their control."

There was a distinct sadness in the chairman's voice, clashing with his usual manner; he knew that there wasn't anything he could currently do to remedy to the situation, at least not yet, and he hated the situation. He hoped his dream of creating a mixed academy could provide a safe place for Kaname one day, but for now he couldn't do more than wait and hope.

The pureblood didn't reply verbally, just giving instead a non-committal nod of agreement while he took another sip of the milk tea. _You have no idea._

The chairman knew well the council's determination and ambitions, and how much they wanted to control Kaname. He had gone as far as often urging Kaname to escape definitively and live under his protection, but that would certainly have been their doom, and Kaname would never do such a thing, not when it would be certain to destroy the haven of peace he had carefully chosen for Yuuki. So he refused on and on, insisting each time that he had to return regardless of his guardian's intentions.

But what the chairman didn't know was how far things went, nor exactly what it was that Kaname had to endure on an almost daily basis. If he knew, he wouldn't ask Kaname to come visit so often.

Kaname eyed the longcase clock against the wall, hoping Yuuki would be back from school soon. He could only stay a few hours before he had to rush and make the trip back to Ichiou's estate, in hopes the old vampire hadn't returned yet. Ichiou was in theory away for business for the night and would only return the next day, but Kaname could never know for sure when that was true and when it was a lie to lure him into leaving too, and then catch him in the act right as he snuck back into the house.  
Takuma tried to help as much as possible, but he was a poor liar and thus a lousy spy, and his grandfather was onto him, feeding him fake information, so that Kaname never knew when he could rely on it and when Ichiou was merely planning to trick him.

Worse yet, when it came to fixed dates such as traditional celebrations and the such, sneaking out was much harder, as Ichiou knew to expect Kaname's attempts each year.

Yuuki's birthday for example, was a sure occasion. The pureblood couldn't possibly _not_ find a way to sneak out that day, and Ichiou would inevitably be waiting for him at his return. It had become such a tradition that the older vampire would purchase new torture instruments and get the old ones refurbished shortly before the date, knowing they would be put to good use when his ward returned.

The rest of the year, it was a constant ballet of occasions and attempts. At the slightest sign that Ichiou would be away for long enough, Kaname would try his chance. Sometimes he succeeded, sometimes he returned only to find his 'guardian' waiting for him at the top of the stairs, with a dark look of anticipation in his eyes.

Because of course, each and every chance to discipline Kaname was an occasion that couldn't be wasted. Ichiou desired nothing more than Kaname's blood, and second to that to touch the pureblood's body --partially in hopes that it would eventually push him far enough for him to give in and allow Ichiou to drink his blood…  
While the former was forbidden by all their laws, the latter was perfectly possible, albeit it could only be done with a justified reason, such as punishing Kaname.  
The council would close their eyes on anything Ichiou did that could be covered up. If he drank Kaname's blood, anyone in the higher vampire aristocracy would be able to feel the pureblood's power in him, which made it impossible unless Kaname gave him his permission. But as long as Ichiou was just hurting the pureblood, his body would heal leaving no marks, and no one would ever believe that the respected council elder was doing anything wrong. Short of creating a rift among the council and risking a civil war that would destroy all the ideals of peace he had been striving for, Kaname couldn't really do anything to stop his guardian.

Over the years, things had escalated considerably, going from mere whippings to torture with hunter weapons --to ensure that the pureblood's wounds would take longer to close and would hurt him much more—before finally moving to a horrifying new level.

The chairman knew Ichiou abused his power as a guardian. He even knew vaguely about the beatings, although Kaname lied through his teeth to make it seem much milder than it was, and made it sound like things had gotten much less bad over the years, when it truth it was quite the opposite.

But the one thing Kaname would not admit to, no matter how much Cross probed and asked, was the rapes.

He took another sip of his tea, letting it roll on his tongue slowly to focus on something else and try to still his breathing. Cross' hunter senses were flawless, and he might pick up on the young pureblood's nervousness if Kaname wasn't careful.  
The pureblood pondered what it would cost him if he escaped again next month. The last time he did two outings in such a short time, Ichiou tied him to a bed blindfolded and gagged for three days straight.  
Kaname wasn't even sure who was raping him during those three days, although it wasn't just Ichiou, no one could possibly last this long uninterrupted, not even a vampire, and there had been many people.

He held back a brutal wave of nausea at the memory, his mask of perfect calm nearly shattering for a second. It was a good thing that Cross was busy pouring himself more tea, or he would see Kaname's hands shaking.

_No. There was no way he could possibly come back so soon. Next month was impossible._

About the time he had made the decision to tell Cross that, they heard the front door opening, and little Yuuki came bouncing in, exclaiming with delighted surprise "Kaname-sama!!" when she saw him.

It was as if pure sunlight had washed over a starved plant locked in darkness for too long. The shroud of seriousness and sadness clinging to Kaname's expression slipped away in one instant as he set down his tea cup and slid down to his knees to embrace Yuuki at her height. She threw herself into his arms and they held tightly onto each other, both hoping the moment would never end.

"Kaname-sama, I'm so happy to see you!! Will you be able to come see me at the play next month?"

At the face of her eagerness, Kaname's previous resolve crumbled to pieces in an instant.  
His throat felt tight, but he answered without the slightest hesitation. "Of course Yuuki. Anything you wish."

To hell with the consequences. He would deal with it later.

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_Sorry for another angsty ficlet. D:_

_I do think Kaname would face any horrors to make Yuuki happy, which is how this plot bunny came about. Then, it became longer as the middle part grew. XD;_

_One day, I have to write my many Chairman + Kaname + little Yuuki ficlet series idea. (Snippets from different moments in their lifes, that I've been meaning to write for a while but always hesitate on whether to do so as it is, or to integrate it all into a longer series sometime.)_


	13. 13 : Precious memory

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13th story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous 12. :D

_**#: 13  
**__**Title: **__Precious Memory._

_**Characters:**__ Guess who the boy and the girl are? Flashback drabble. :)_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it._

_**Warnings:** None._

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"You will now exchange your engagement vows, my children."

The King's voice rumbled gently in the room, wise and ancient as he was himself.

He moved forward, the traditional dagger in hand for the ritual. It was a small ceremony, a pre-nuptial bond destined to unite two vampire children in their promise of being wed at a later date, when they were old enough.  
It wasn't a permanent bond as a full double bond would be, but it was still something to unite them, let them locate each other and feel joined by something tangible. Vampires lived much too long to take the risk to make a definitive move at an early age, when there was the possibility that with time one may have a change of heart. But the exchange of the engagement bond was still an important tradition, and few would ever have dared to break such a thing. It would be a terrible scandal, especially among purebloods.

The two children stood face to face, and for the sake of decorum, the boy held back his familiar urge to hunch forward to be more at the height of the little girl, who was even smaller than her fiancé-to-be.

The King stood by them, the dagger raised, and the boy offered his hand, not a trace of hesitation on his face. It was more like eager anticipation --controlled and respectful due to how serious the occasion was, but clearly present in the way his warm eyes gleamed with unbridled delight.

The King held the boy's wrist firmly, as the tradition demanded –it was a measure to save the child an unnecessary public shame if his youthfulness made him instinctively pull away from the pain as the dagger pierced the skin— but the boy remained unflinching even as the blade sliced a clean, deep cut along the palm of his hand. He was perfectly still and focused on the girl in front of him. Blood pearled at the edge of the cut, the vibrant crimson and the unmistakably intoxicating scent of pure vampire blood sending a spike of inevitable instinctive lust through the other vampires assembled in the room.

The boy only had eyes for his future bride, and offered her his blood while the King uttered the traditional words. The girl held onto his hand and dipped her delicate face down, licking the blood. There was no need for a bite at that point, due to the ritual knife, but instincts were less well controlled in the younger ones, and she couldn't help briefly scrapping one of her little fangs along the edge of his wound. The sensation was unexpected enough that even with the boy's control it sent a shudder through his frame, and a flush to his face. Not that he minded, he liked the idea that he would belong to her one day, but he was a trifle embarrassed of flushing in front of others, and hoped that the small assembly that had the honor to assist the ritual, and who was seated all around the dais where they stood, was far enough that they didn't see the light color taking over his cheeks.

The King then repeated the motions with the little vampire girl, cutting her hand and saying the words while the boy licked the blood on her palm clean.

The boy was still young enough that his love didn't translate yet into another type of hunger for her, of course, but her blood tasted enticing all the same, even if the lust for it was still pure. Despite the urge to drink further, he limited himself to the necessary amount for the bond, and decidedly resisted the urge to see if he could make her blush the way she had done to him. He was very tempted, but he ended up stopping before he did it; he would not embarrass his precious sister – and bride—in front of the others. Or in any other place. He only wanted her love and her happiness.

The ritual completed, the King took the children's hands into his own before interlacing them, the wounds touching for a brief moment, blood symbolically mingling before the cuts quickly closed, pureblood healing being what it was.

The two children turned towards the assembled vampires and smiled happily, now bonded. A wave of applause resounded in response, echoing from all around the room, from the vampires watching them, from the King standing behind them, and from their brother at the bottom of the steps leading to where they were standing.

The boy kept his sister's hand in his own all along as they descended the steps of the dais.

That day would be Rido's happiest one, and he treasured the memory of it until it was completely poisoned as it all crumbled apart some years later.

.

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_VK chapter 43 left me in a Rido mood. XD;  
__Did you think it was Kaname and Yuuki? XD I was hoping to make it misleading, but the mention of the King being present might have given things away. XD_

_**If you want to read chapter 43, btw, I got LaLa magazine as soon as it came out and scanned, cleaned, translated and scanlated that same day. :D  
It's on my livejournal, and now also on Onemanga. :)**_

_More Rido!fic will probably ensue. XD He's a jerk, but such a charming one when he's not murdering favorite characters. And I can't help but wonder if at some point in his life, he wasn't that bad... hence this fic._

_**Ramblings that are spoilery for chapters 35/36 AND 43:**  
There is a huge difference between Rido and Kaname though, it's that about the whole fiancee thing, Kaname said of Yuuki that they would be married "if she will still have me", so he was putting the whole decision in her hand, in an adorable and gentlemany manner. (Despite how much he would be destroyed if she did throw him away, as we've seen by how worried he was in 41.)  
While Rido was more like "Omg, how dare you not love me, Juri, I'm going to screw up all your family", from what we've seen. XD lol  
But still, chapter 43 made me feel bad for him and wish things could have been different and he had been able to end up in a different manner._


	14. 14 : Drowning

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14th story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous 13. :D

_**#: 14  
Title: **__Drowning  
**Character:** Guess who it is? XD (It becomes obvious pretty fast.)_  
_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warnings:**__ Spoilers for recent manga chapters, so you might want to skip if you're not up to date. Mostly up to chapter 38, but just in case._

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He woke up with a choking gasp, the blood in the back of his throat making him let out a gurgling noise as he suffocated for a moment and nearly lost conscience again.

Everything was dark around him, and he had no idea where he was or what was happening. Everything was so eerily still and silent, and his perceptions were completely off, unable to latch onto anything or even try to assess his surroundings. He tried to gather himself together, to reform, but it all failed, and at some point beyond the initial panic, he realized he couldn't open his eyes, or even breathe. He suffocated and passed out again, blissful oblivion taking over and relieving him of the agonizing pain for the moment.

He had half-woken that way countless times before this one, but they had all been too brief and he hadn't quite registered them, his sensorial perceptions being too jumbled for his brain and memory to be able to process the input.

The next time he woke up, he was in a slightly better condition, but not by much. Unconsciously, he had been trying to focus his body's healing on the parts that would matter for him to try and find out what was going on around him, so now he was actually able to breathe more or less, and to somewhat open his eyes. He closed them again immediately; his eyelids were too raw and it burn like a searing hell.  
Everything was red. There was blood everywhere, whose blood he had no idea, but he was covered in it. The thick, semi-clotted liquid clung to him with a stale stench that invaded everything. He held onto his consciousness with frantic desperation, but it didn't last long and he passed out again.

More time passed, and he woke up again. This time, there were two other vampires in the room with him. They hunched over when they saw him try to open his eyes, apparently fascinated that he could do so.

He knew them, he had seen them before, but he couldn't place names on the faces, his mind felt like it had been torn apart and shoved back together too roughly, and even thinking was terribly painful at the moment. He barely could breathe, and staying awake was taking all his energy. His will was by far stronger than his body at the moment, and the force of pure obsession kept him awake when his failing senses were threatening to shut down on him yet again.

Over the course of the past several times he woke up, he had spent those brief moments of consciousness desperately trying to gather his very vague shreds of memories, to try and figure out where he was and who took him there, or what he'd been doing before. He knew who he was, of course, but he couldn't quite place what had happened to cause him to be in such an unsettling situation.

He remembered a bit more now, but it still wasn't much, other than the fact that he'd been under the guard of the council for a while, which wasn't so bad, since he was hardly a prisoner despite his official status.  
Then, he remembered he had found out something that had made him terribly mad … the girl, there was a little girl… they had another child. He'd already broken the older one, Kaname, he couldn't let them get away with a second one. Or so it was what he'd been thinking at one point, but he wasn't sure he would have followed through with it. He mostly just really wanted to see Juri's face and pick up from there, deciding whether he'd really do something to the new child or not.  
The council was convinced that he was going there to kill them both, and he had let them think whatever they wanted, as usual. He'd have scoffed at the memory of their foolishness, but he knew that would immediately make him pass out, in his current state.

He remembered more… he'd gone to their place, and things had quickly degenerated, as they usually did when he tried to do something that involved Juri. The previous time already, he'd planned to do something else altogether, but it was all such a slippery slope when his feelings got mixed into it, and in the end things had happened in a much more tragic manner than what he had originally intended to do.

And this time too, it all went downhill so fast.

_He'd... killed Haruka, didn't he?_

He was vaguely shocked, he couldn't quite believe that had really happened. Not that he really liked Haruka, he had often envisioned killing him as payback for taking Juri from him, but it was one thing to want to do it, and another to actually go for it. It was so unplanned. He had been so angry, but he had never meant for it to happen, or at least not that way.  
But the looks Haruka and Juri exchanged when he had arrived… that companionship, standing together against him... It had made the blood boil in his veins, and before he truly realized, things had gone much farther than he'd planned.

He still wasn't sure where he was, or what exactly had happened after Haruka died.

One of the two vampires standing there was leaning over, looking at him with a calculating expression on his face. He vaguely remembered who that one was, now. _It was one of the council people, Ichi-something._ His mind was too raw to bother trying to remember the guy's name, and he couldn't care less for who they were.  
He realized that he was tiring down fast from the effort to remember, and would pass out soon.  
He still had to know how _she_ was. So he focused all the power that he could muster in his state to try and locate the one and only person who mattered for him.

And then, there was a great black emptiness.

He tried again and again, in a growing panic, ignoring the screaming agony of his overworked synapses refusing to go on pushing so hard in a body that couldn't possibly use so much energy in such a condition.

If he had been trying to directly interact with the outside world from his dark dungeon, he would have little to no chance in that state. But it was a different situation, Juri and him had been partially bonded at one point, and finding her should have been an easy task normally, and a difficult one but still nowhere near impossibly even in his current state. The remaining thread of their former bond still inside him should lead straight to her.

He pushed on and on, but at the end of the bond there was nothing but a complete void, a gaping emptiness as if he stared past the edge of a cliff desperately trying to see a bridge that was no more, vanished completely like a dream.

He remembered vaguely chunks of what had happened then, more and more clearly.  
Suddenly, understanding dawned on him in a brutal blow.

She had killed herself. He had gone so far, that she had thought that was the only way to protect her child, and she had taken her own life for it.

He let out a strangled cry of agony as the idea that she was no more really registered.  
It was more of a gurgle from a man nearly drowning in his own blood than an actual cry, but it was filled with so much desperation and horror that the two council elders backed away swiftly just in case, frightened suddenly by the sheer horror in his voice.

He lost conscience again.

The next time he woke up, Ichiou was there again, with a vaguely wary look on his face as he surveyed the pureblood in the marble coffin-like receptacle.

Rido Kuran had never ever begged for anything in his whole life, and never thought he ever would until that moment.

And yet, the broken words that his torn lips could barely form were quite clearly a weakened, miserable plea, in a nearly intelligible raspy voice that caught in his torn throat as he tried to form the words.

"Please… let… me …die… just let… me die…"

The blond aristocrat ignored him altogether, merely pulling the chain for the blood funnel, reloading it with a bag of fresh blood he'd brought in, and opening the valve to send a small torrent of the crimson liquid trickling down onto Rido's mangled body.

"You'll be all better in no time, Rido-sama, just rest and heal. We'll take care of everything."

"N-no… no…"

"You're in good hands, Rido-sama. Just rest now."

"No… please… ple…ase…"

Ichiou was unmoved by the pureblood's breaking voice -- it was not the first time he heard a Kuran begging, and he was quite sure it wouldn't be the last one.  
He calmly made sure the blood dispenser was dripping properly and then left the room, ignoring the weakening pleas as he closed the thick metal door behind himself, locking it securely and leaving the place in complete darkness.

Alone with the void, Rido despaired.

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_The allusion to Ichiou having heard a Kuran begging before was __**not**__ canon, of course. XD;  
It was just because it would fit nicely with some of my Ichiou x Kaname fics, and so I slipped it in there.  
Rido & Juri are not canonically bonded either. I just happen to have too many plot bunnies. XD_

_The idea behind this fic is that he never intended to push things so far, but he kind of loses control when he's angry, and does things much worse than what he meant, thus having caused all those tragedies, when he possibly intended to cause a lot of problems, but not to push Juri that far. So in the fic, when he actually realizes she's really dead, that it went that far and it's over… he starts to make the decision of dying, but he can't unless he gets his body back under his control, so until then, he has to play the council's game and do all he can to regain usage of his body. _

_Rido is puzzling, at times he seems to be a complete jerk, and in other moments he's strangely charming. (despite still being terrible. XD)  
I'm still poking and pondering, wondering how far his mask goes, and how much of which part is fake and how much is real. XD  
Chapter 43 of the manga is quite fascinating._

_**Spoilery rambling ahead, about chapter 43 of the manga:**__  
You know, I'm not sure Rido really meant to do what he was claiming he would do. He got to the school, and was completely focused on his Juri obsession, to the point that Zero pointed out that he wasn't even trying to fight back properly or stop him from killing him.  
Then, Rido hugged Yuuki and died just like that, without even defending himself anymore.  
There's no way this was a "oops, he wasn't paying attention". Even if he was out of his mind at the moment or something, we saw he was REALLY capable of fighting and powerful.  
The more I think about it, the more I think he went there to die, maybe... if he did indeed die, as he seemed to but chapter 44 makes me wonder. XD;_

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	15. 15 : Unlikely hero

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_15th story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous 14. :D_

_**#: 15  
Title: Unlikely hero**  
**Character:** Rido, baby Kaname, Juri and Haruka.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
**Warnings:** Possible vague spoilers for some manga chapters, mostly 35, though feelings etc also make reference to ideas stemming from 43._

_It's fluff with Rido and Kaname, how screwed up can such a thing be? XD  
Rido is as creepy as ever. XD_

_Blame chapter 43 of the manga. It seriously messed up my mind. lol XD  
Btw, if you haven't read it yet, I scanlated it and it's up on my livejournal and on Onemanga, so rush to read it and you'll see what I'm talking about. :D_

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Things were as awkward as ever.

Rido walked towards the buffet, ignoring his siblings as they slid along the dance floor in the perfect harmony of movements that only bonded vampire lovers could have, their waltz an ageless one that got all the other vampires to instinctively stop to watch in mesmerized adoration.

The empty end of the severed bond he used to have with Juuri throbbed in Rido's chest, made worse by the sight of the two so happy.

He loved her, but he hated them for showing themselves that way where he could see them.  
He hated that they were happily married while he was alone and devoid of all he'd ever wanted – Juri.  
And he hated with all his being the embodiment of their union, the physical personification of it -- their child, Kaname, a toddler a little under two years old now.

Dark ideas swirled inside Rido's head, until he decided that whatever purpose attending this party may have had, it wasn't worth the pain of seeing them together so happy, and all the other fools adoring them like that.  
Not to mention that if he stayed any longer, even his near perfect mask of control would slip, and the hatred might show openly on his face. Things were still officially okay, even if keeping that façade was harder each day. But Juri had wanted it all to seem okay, so for now he had indulged, if anything so that they wouldn't be suspicious the day he actually did get around to doing something for revenge. He had many ideas, especially concerning Kaname, but he wasn't ready to carry out any of them yet, and he wasn't even sure yet if he would go through with it when he was actually ready.  
He weighted the pros and cons between the intense satisfaction he would feel in crushing the boy, and the drawbacks in the way Juri might look at him afterwards. But she barely ever looked at him now, didn't she? He had lost her completely.

He swallowed the dark ball of anger in his throat and turned away, forcing himself to stop looking at them, and making his way to the ornate stairway leading to the second floor where several rooms had been prepared for the guests to spend time alone or in a smaller group if they so wished.  
Purebloods rarely mingled with the crowd more than for a few instants, and as such, vampire parties always had a few separate rooms set up like a pleasant drawing room so that they could spend an enjoyable time away from the bother that the adoring masses could quickly constitute.

As Rido made his way to the room that had been prepared for him, he glanced in the direction of the one where he had seen his siblings leave their child earlier when they arrived at the party. Perhaps they felt safer by taking him with them rather than leaving him alone at home, but it was a foolish notion, Rido mused.  
Especially since Haruka and Juri were still blissfully waltzing right now, far away from Kaname and unable to know if anything happened to him, while _he_ was there, much closer to the boy than they were, close enough that they would never even know what happened until it was too late, if he decided to spirit the boy away.  
But he would do no such thing, or in any case, not tonight. His plans, if he ever decided to take them to completion, would take a much longer preparatory period, and kidnapping the boy tonight would serve no purpose.

As he walked into his own room, he glanced towards the boy's room again, and caught a glimpse of an aristocrat vampire leaning against the door that was now partially open. The vampire seemed to be about to exit, and had a sickeningly sweet smile on his face that reeked of fakeness, as he apparently cajoled the boy.  
Rido could have easily stayed where he was, concealed by the welcoming darkness of the corridor, and listened to what they were saying, but he didn't feel like bothering and just slammed shut the door of his own room before plopping down on a fauteuil and trying to coax his mind to slip away towards less exasperating directions than his infuriating siblings or their spawn.

But much as he tried to relax and bring under control the anger that whirled inside him ever since he saw the two dancing, the image of that vampire leaning against Kaname's door kept coming back to his mind over and over.  
He recognized him now. It was someone from the council, a low ranked noble he'd usually seen conspiring in the corners between meetings, and who behaved in a way much above his means. The man hardly had a right to be at this party to begin with, and probably had convinced someone else to allow him to tag along.

Rido attended the council meetings and did all the necessary to maintain the very useful close relation he had with the council, but he focused on the people who actually mattered and rarely paid attention to that type of presumptuous upstart, so he hadn't recognized the man right away.  
Now that he did remember though, he also remembered having heard other council members saying among snickers that that man had a reputation for ruthlessly trying to take whatever he could to get ahead, regardless of what means he had to employ.

Rido's mismatched eyes flew back open. Now it suddenly seemed very clear why the man would be there, loitering by the unguarded door of an unprotected little pureblood at an age where he wouldn't be able to do anything if someone tried to prey on his blood. The laws protected a pureblood's blood, but Kaname was young enough that it would probably be easy to turn things around in a way that the boy believed he let the other drink, when in truth he was taken against his will. The arrogant upstart could gain immense power if his ploy succeeded. It could have dangerous consequences, but with the position of power the council currently held, there were big chances the man could get away with it and be fine.

Rido got up suddenly, striding out of his room and down the corridor. He swung open the door to Kaname's room without bothering to knock. It was empty, both the older vampire and the little boy having vanished without leaving any tracks.

Anger made Rido's fangs extend by their own accord as he seethed. He gripped the door frame in a way the made the wood splinter under his fingers.

_How DARE he?! Take my prey, no less. If someone will destroy that boy, it will be me, no one else!!_

Walking back into the open area of the corridor that surmounted the dancing hall, Rido looked down and saw that Haruka and Juri were still blissfully enjoying each other's presence and completely ignorant of whatever situation their child might be in.

Perhaps that was precisely why the man had taken the boy away, so that his blood wouldn't be scented by anyone present.  
He had to act fast.

_Knowing the building and its surroundings, where would he take Kaname if he was kidnapping him?_

He would probably take him much farther away, where they wouldn't be found out, but he took into account that the other vampire didn't have pureblood speed.

The inside of the building was an ornate party hall, but the outside of it was more like a decrepit old building. It was set up in an isolated countryside area, and the surroundings were rather empty and blank, especially covered in snow as they currently were.  
It would be too open and too awkward to do it in the woods, too easy to be spotted, and so Rido guessed the vampire must have Kaname still somewhere within the building, but in a place far enough from the ballroom that his blood would remain unnoticed. He effortlessly stepped on the windowsill and jumped out, landing two floors below in the snow, with a graceful and completely silent movement, his natural agility further honed by thousands of years of the power in his veins building up.

Rido stalked along the outer wall of the building, his aura masked and blending in with the night completely, the most unlikely rescuer that fate could possibly have sent after Kaname.

Quickly, he found what he was looking for. A square of light on the snow indicated the presence of a window right after the corner, and with his sensitive pureblood hearing, Rido could easily pick up the talk that was going on inside. The scent of pure vampire blood was already in the air, but Rido could tell that the kidnapper hadn't drank any of it yet. With how long Rido had already lived, he could tell from the subtle variations in the energy he perceived coming from each of them that the other had probably only cut Kaname so far.

A little voice complained weakly, as if trying to push someone away and failing – Kaname was still too small to use his powers or even to call out for his parents with his aura. His kidnapper had planned things perfectly, appearing gentle while they were still within a range where the boy could have called out for help, and suddenly being more forceful now that they were far enough away that no one would hear Kaname. If Rido hadn't seen and recognized the man earlier, the plan would probably have gone through perfectly, and no one would have found out until it was too late.

Kaname struggled weakly in the man's arms; a clear tinge of fear had made its way into his little voice now that he realized how alone he was, and just how much he was completely at the other's mercy.

The vampire's lips dropped to the delicate little neck with a lecherous delight as he repeated poisoned words into the little boy's ear to silence him. "Don't worry, it will only hurt a little… No one has to know how shamefully scared you are either, it will be our 'little secret', you just have to say you let me do this."

Before the vampire's mouth could close on the little pureblood's skin, the door exploded.

Panic was obvious on the vampire's livid face as he stared in horror at the furious pureblood standing in the frame of the now-inexistent door.

"Ri… Ri-Rido-sama!! I can explain!!"

_What was HE doing here?! I thought he didn't care?!_

"Really?! Then explain _fast_ what you were doing to my nephew!"

Rido was initially going to say_ 'my prey'_, but it would have sounded bad, and there was always the possibility that Kaname would repeat his words later, so he slipped in a protective _'my nephew' _instead, at the last second.

Needless to say, one could hardly explain why they were holding a bloodied and very visibly scared pureblood child, while having their fangs a half inch away from said child's neck.

Rido didn't bother waiting for whatever explanation, and moved in a blur. Before the other vampire could even see what happened, Kaname had disappeared from his hands, and was now nestled safely against Rido's chest, securely held in his uncle's right arm while his unlikely rescuer loomed dangerously in front of the kidnapper.

The man stepped back until his back slammed against the wall, trembling at how close the pureblood had moved before he could even blink..

"Ri… Rido-sama… It doesn't have to be that way. We… we could reach an agreement perhaps? _Share_ perhaps?"

Rido snarled.

"I'm sorry, but '_sharing'_ isn't my style."

Rido's fist tore through the other vampire's chest in a blink of an instant, and there was a sickening noise before he ripped out his heart, blood spraying onto them both before the body stiffened, started to shatter, and finally exploded into a cloud of dirty dust looking like damp ashes.

Rido shook his arm, a revulsed look on his face as he tried to get rid of the ashes that clung to the blood on his arm, turning to something akin to mud. "I hate those lowly bastards and their dirt."

Kaname's hands were balled into tight little fists as he clung to the fabric of Rido's clothing and tried hard not to cry. He was still very small, and the experience was all very shocking to him, especially how unable he had been to do anything to protect himself.

Power struggles were deeply ingrained in purebloods, and Kaname hated the weakness he had already displayed – he didn't want to cry now, on top of it all. But pureblood or not, he was also a small child, and desperately in need of comfort and gentleness after being so scared.

His uncle knew nothing of the way a small child's mind worked though, and failed to realize the exact nature of the perceived distress coming from the boy.

"Are you wounded? What's wrong?!"

From what he could smell of the boy's blood, he shouldn't be badly wounded or anything, so Rido wondered and wondered what could be going on, pulling the boy away a little to get a better look and try to figure out what was wrong. Kaname's little dress shirt was partially open, a little crumpled and smudged with blood, his little tie hanging undone in a messy manner, but from the look of it all it didn't look like he'd been undressed further or anything, and because of how fast Rido had come after them, there hadn't been any time for the vampire to do anything _other_ than get access to his neck and try to coerce him to give him his blood, so he shook away the initial idea he had. Suddenly, he realized that Kaname was trembling slightly, the cold getting to him hard now that the fear and tension had burst.

"Hu- huh…" Kaname opened his mouth and then closed it quickly, realizing he couldn't speak right now. His eyes were wet, but he was still well decided not to let the tears fall.

Unconsciously, he was clinging to the arm his uncle had wrapped around him as he held him over his hip.

Rido offered the only comfort he knew how to. He thrust his wrist in front of the boy's face and commanded.

"Drink. You'll feel better."

Kaname hesitated, surprised and unsure.

"What, don't tell me you're such a baby you don't know how to bite?!"

"That… that's not it at all!!"

Kaname's little face had turned beet red at the taunt. But truth is, he was still weaning and had only ever drank blood from his mother or father when they had cut their own wrists first. He tried to bite, but his little fangs scratched Rido's skin without piercing deep enough. Rido scoffed and held back the urge to say it was just tickling him. Kaname felt even more embarrassed, but the teasing was slowly taking his mind off the fear he'd felt earlier.

"That's how you do it, kid."

Rido pulled back his wrist, bringing it up to his mouth and sinking his fangs into it deeply, drawing blood to the surface instantly. He handed it back to the boy, who hesitantly closed his little mouth around the wound and sucked the blood into his mouth.

It was surprisingly thick, even more so than his parents', and more bitter too, but not in an unpleasant manner. Kaname may be a small child, but he had an eclectic taste, and in his mind, Rido's blood was more like dark bitter chocolate –which unlike most small children, Kaname did like-- while his mother's was sweeter and gentle like delicious milk chocolate. His father's was similar to hers –perhaps because they often drank from each other—although a little stronger.  
The difference wasn't unpleasant, it was a new discovery, and the blood was warm and soothing after all the fear and the cold Kaname was feeling.

Rido's eyes were lost in the past for an instant. Kaname looked a lot like his mother, and it jolted back memories, thousands of years before, when a toddler Juri innocently drank from her older brother's wrist, clinging onto his arm with the same single-minded determination Kaname was currently displaying as his little hands wrapped around Rido's wrist and he sucked the blood harder. Rido felt a harsh lump rising in his throat.  
He interrupted the boy's drinking, nudging him off his wrist. "It's enough."

Too long had passed already, and it would be best to get back inside quickly before _someone_ noticed they were both gone and came out with the wrong conclusions.

But perhaps it was too late for that already.

As soon as Rido stepped in the snow outside and made to rush back to the entry with Kaname in his arms, an unexpected blow from above heavily crashed into his side, sending him sprawling into the snow with a jarring pain. The boy in his arms was gone instantly, snatched away from him, which triggered an instinctive surge of worry, unfounded as it may be considering the nature of the people attacking him. Through the pureblood fury muddling her aura, he distinctively recognized the presence of Juri crushing him into the ground, her nails extended into claws pressing painfully against his ribs.

The danger in her voice was as visible as her fangs gleaming in the dark as she leaned over him, her eyes glowing red like blood.

"What were you doing, Rido?!"

"Saving your son!!"

An unlikely answer, and the look on her face told him well that she didn't believe a word he was saying.

Haruka --holding little Kaname-- quickly moved towards the spot where Juri was still pinning Rido to the ground. He had probably snatched the child out of Rido's arms when Juri slammed into him.

Two purebloods on one would be impossible odds for anyone, even him. Not to mention that whatever Juri may think and however much rage Rido may feel, he didn't think he had it in himself to fight her.

Luckily, that wouldn't be necessary, as an unexpected intervention was suddenly taking place.

"Mommy, no! He really did help me, it's true!"

Little Kaname was stretching his arms, leaning forward from his father's hold, worriedly trying to reach for his surprised mother and stop her.

Some quick explanations later, and a calmer Juri and Haruka realized embarrassedly that the blood all over Rido and Kaname belonged indeed to a third party –in fact, Kaname had Rido's blood on his lips, of all things… one would have expected the opposite to be more likely.

They were as apologetic as they could get – even if they were also very glad to have Kaname back in their arms rather than in Rido's. He may have saved him this time, but they were never quite sure whether his intentions were always truly all innocent, and they had seriously panicked earlier when they realized that not only Kaname was missing, but Rido had disappeared as well, his scent clearly present on the splintered frame of the door leading to Kaname's room.

But for once at least, fate had taken things not quite in the direction one might have expected...

.

.

* * *

_Fluffy ficlet for once? :D  
Err, even my fluff is full of angst. XD;_

_By the way, while I'm here, thank you so so much to all the lovely people who've been leaving your kind comments on my fics! :D  
I love knowing what you think of my stories, and it motivates me to write more, so thank you so much! You are all awesome!  
(And sorry that I can often be so slow in managing to catch up with replies. :X)_


	16. 16 : Puppeteer

_

* * *

  
16th story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous 15. :D_

_**#: 16  
Title: Puppeteer**__  
__**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warnings:**__ None. Cruelty? XD; lol_

* * *

.

.

"Hhmm, yes… dance in my hands, my puppet."

The pureblood spread her arms, hands making a cupping shape as if she wanted to lift the very air in front of her.

He had no idea she controlled so much of his destiny. He believed himself safe, or at least as safe as he could possibly be in his state, torn but still far from her, in a new life, with new people. Near a woman he loved, even if he knew he would never be able to truly stand next to her.

He had no idea how much Shizuka shaped his very destiny, influenced his very will on a daily basis.

Each feeling he felt, each decision he took, even each spike of bloodlust that his traitorous body forced upon him. It was all Shizuka. He had no idea.

If he knew, he would probably kill himself. If she left him that freedom, that is.

But she did not wish for him to die just yet. And that was why she wouldn't let him know, until the necessary moment.

She went on watching her puppet from afar, amused by his daily dance.

From a corner, Ichiru watched silently, a devious glint in his eyes hidden behind the mask he wore at all times.

.

.

* * *

_A strange idea that came to my mind and demanded to be made into a little drabble. XD  
I don't think Shizuka would have that much cruelty, but then, it's really hard to tell with her, she can go one way or the other. XD;_


	17. 17 : Much too late

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* * *

  
17th story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous 16. :D_

_**#: 17  
Title: Much too late.**__  
__**Characters:**__ Rido, Juri, and a bit of Kaname and Haruka.  
__**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warnings:**__ Spoilers for the manga, for chapter 35 and possibly a little for 43._

* * *

.

.

The long haired woman gracefully set her tea cup down before sighing softly and rising her eyes to meet those of the man sitting near her.  
She had come over for an unscheduled visit, and he had offered her tea and pastries as they sat on the ornate couch in his drawing room.

"Rido… we need to talk."

His body automatically tensed.

_Uh-oh. _

The last time she had '_needed to talk', _it was to tell him that she was leaving him. _For __**Haruka**__ of all people!_

It was like a wound that had never closed, permanently gaping and tearing at him, as if the gap got a little bit wider each day, threatening to swallow his whole soul.  
But he still resisted, he still appeared civil and proper, attending the formal gatherings and behaving as if the sight of the two together wasn't tearing his heart apart and filling him with a murderous urge more and more difficult to control, demanding that Haruka's blood be spilt and Juri be brought back next to him, from where she should never have departed.

The problem was, Rido didn't know how to make Juri _want_ to come back, and he didn't feel he had it in himself to force anything upon the one and only person who mattered for him. With anyone else, he couldn't care less, but Juri had always been the one exception.

But the wound was definitely still much too fresh; she had severed their bond and left him less than two months ago.

When they sat together and had tea in his manor like this, just the two of them, sharing that silent companionship of people used to spending centuries together –Haruka had the tact to not tag along-- Rido could almost fool himself into believing they were back in time a few months ago, and this living nightmare he was currently trapped in was just that, a nightmare, and not something actually happening. He could almost convince himself that everything was back to normal.

Of course, she had to ruin it.

He instinctively feared what she may have to talk of. _You already tore my heart out once, what ill news could you possibly still have for me?!_

She made a little noise in her throat, as if giving herself courage to start, and he felt his breath catch; it was not like Juri to hesitate like that, and it made him worry even more about what she may be about to tell him. In turn, that apprehension turned into a bitter defensiveness, steeling his heart and preparing him for the blow, almost as if it was preparing him to strike back, something he couldn't quite picture when it came to his reactions to Juri. She was the very only person he would never raise a hand against. Even if he wanted to, it was physically impossible, he loved her too much, too deeply, his very own body would refuse to obey such a traitorous command if he ever tried to harm her.

_Harming Haruka, now… _The thought of that had been seeming more and more appealing over the past several weeks.

She noticed from the look on his face that the delay was only making things worse, and decided to go straight to the point.

"I'm pregnant."

He exploded. One moment he had been sitting on the couch, eyeing her with growing apprehension, and the next moment he was standing, nearly screaming at the top of his lungs what he would do to Haruka for this, with some rather graphic descriptions of dismembering and striking brutality.

Juri was taken aback, unsure of how to react at first. This was… different from what she'd expected. But while Haruka was more like their sweet mother, both Rido and Juri had inherited their father's fiery temper, and hearing him insulting Haruka quickly made her join the shouting.

It was brief but violent, even if neither touched each other, and even though Rido's violence was directed at Haruka rather than at Juri. But at her eyes, Haruka and her were indivisible, just how Rido and her had been indivisible, until her long hesitation between the two brothers had finally toppled over the balance of things.

"I should never have come here! This was a mistake! I should never have tried to tell you! To tell you…"

Tears in her eyes, Juri stormed out of the manor, still throwing back some last imprecations against Rido as she left. He followed her until she was gone, staying farther back with uncertainty but definitely still angry, perhaps even angrier than before.  
Furious that she was leaving, and even more so that she was _leaving_ _him_ again, in such a definitive manner now, carrying the child of another, the one thing that made it certain that she would never be his again. That baby would be the physical embodiment of Haruka and Juri's relationship, the one thing making it impossible for him to have her, the one obstacle standing between the two of them.

--

A few years had passed, and they had all changed.

Haruka and Juri had matured as a couple, the baby giving them an experience of life so wonderful and yet so different that even millenia of youthful life hadn't been able to give them.

At the top of his six years of age, Kaname was an adorable child and the very joy of their days, as well as a promising hope as the future leader of the clan.

Rido had taken quite the opposite path, sinking into a violent depression fueled by the lack of Juri, and which he masked under the shield of his hatred and all-consuming rage.

Until that rage finally took him down a path he could never walk back out of, when it ceased to be a mere phantasm in the background, and the dark ideas that took over his mind in lonely winter nights became too present to be refused any longer.  
Until he spirited Kaname away with every intention of destroying completely the one thing that stood between Juri and him. If not anymore out of serious hope of winning her back, then at least for the sake of revenge. Not against her, and perhaps not even exactly against Haruka anymore, but a direct revenge, wreaked upon the very being Rido now viewed as the very cause of his wretched misery.

A dark thrill had taken over his mind and body as he performed the ritual, as well as the torture – a pleasant bonus for him-- and successfully shattered completely the mind of the child he so abhorred.  
The torture tools gleamed in his hands, stained dark with the boy's thick blood. Broken breathing sobbed out of Kaname's lungs, further fueling the sadistic glee surging through Rido's body.

But he never expected that Haruka and Juri would find him before he was completely done.

And more exactly, the one thing he never expected was the look of utter horror in Juri's face, as it was distorted with pain at the sight and she screamed at him words he couldn't possibly believe, but that registered very clearly in his mind even after Haruka crushed him into the wall.

She screamed _**"NOOOOOO!! He's your child, Rido!!"**_

But it was much too late, now.

.

.

.

* * *

_Please don't kill me, Haruka fans! XD; It was just a random idea. lol_

_The whole fic was written entirely because of the idea of Juri screaming that at Rido, about Kaname actually being his child. XD;  
That's what she went to his manor to tell him. If he had reacted better, who knows how different things would have been? XD  
If only she'd told him much earlier, none of this would have happened, perhaps. (Well, yes and no, chaos would still have happened as he would have refused that his love and his child stay with another man.)_

_I don't think I need to mention that this is all completely non-canon, obviously. XD  
But it sure would be a different twist. XD;_


	18. 18 : Our Children

_18th story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous 17. :D_

_**#: 18  
Title: Our children.**__  
__**Characters:**__ Guess as you read? :D  
__**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warnings:**__Spoilers for the recent manga chapters. (Can't say which exactly without giving away which are the characters in the drabble. XD It becomes obvious fast, but see if you can guess right away or not? :D)_

* * *

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.

Her laughter was crystalline to his ears, the musical sound cutting softly through the cold air of the winter morning, soothing him like the calming sound of water drizzling between the rocks in the peaceful little mountain rivers than ran along the road leading there.

She twirled around, her merriment making her feel like dancing. He laughed too, softly, incapable of resisting her contagious mirth. Snow crunched under their feet as they walked, admiring the wintery scenery, words not needed in that moment of companionable silence.  
She twirled around herself once more before holding onto his arm, dragging him into the playful dance, both awkwardly matching each other's steps and movements to waltz unsteadily on the snow, faces flushed from laughing.

Her silky brown hair floated around her as she moved, ethereal as her beauty, something made for the night but irresistibly innocent under the hopeful sunlight. He had the urge to reach and touch her hair, feel the long locks slide between his fingers, but he held back at the last minute and merely smiled at her

If this were to be their last moment together, he would inevitably have regrets, but he would treasure it forever, etching into his memory each second of it, so that he may never forget her smile, or the way her garnet eyes gleamed with glee and hope for the future. A future so terribly uncertain, but one for which she relied on him, one for which she trusted him with the safety of all that mattered most for her. It didn't matter that she belonged to another, and he belonged to a world that made that even if it hadn't been the case, it would have been impossible for them to be together.

She made anything possible. When she smiled at him, he felt he could move mountains, change the entire world for her.

And he would, he very much would, or at least, he would try all he possibly could for the sake of that ideal.

She caressed her swollen belly gently, whispering sweet words at the little life inside, and he smiled, secure in the certainty that he would kill or die for her, and for the child she carried, however much such an idea may have seemed shocking to him a mere few months earlier, when he'd tried the unthinkable and made an attempt on the thing that was most precious in the whole world, in his eyes – her life. The shocked way he'd looked at her pregnant belly then was light years away from the way he looked at it now, with a devotion that stemmed directly from his devotion for her.

It was completely unrelated to the fact that back then, she'd given him her blood so that he'd survive his injury. She'd given him so much more than blood, so much more than a mere cure for his body – she'd given him a reason to live, a purpose in life, something to turn what he viewed as a cursed existence enslaved by fate into something he could actually use to try and change the way things were: She'd given him the will to try, the will to change things, and the strength to keep going on.

All of this because he loved her.

--

And now, years after the moment when they danced together in the snow, he may be alone, he may have lost her, but he still had that same determination born out of devotion for her, and that unwavering will to go on at any costs, to keep protecting what was most important for her, to keep trying to change the world to suit her gentle views of things.

Little Yuuki was asleep next to him, her little head resting on his leg. She was cuddled up into a blanket and had passed out a good while ago, bored by the movie they'd been watching together. Kaname was sitting on his other side, surprisingly also asleep for once, his head resting on the man's shoulder. Cross could well feel that the life under the council's guard must be stressful and tiresome for the young boy, and didn't wake him up just yet, figuring he might as well stay a little longer and get some rest before he had to return. He was determined to set up the part of the school that he wanted to open to vampires as soon as he possibly could, so that Kaname could come live near them, rather than be forced to remain with his current legal guardian. Cross had tried all manner of things to get the boy out so far, short of appealing to the council and asking for Kaname's guardianship directly – they knew it would be denied, and Kaname had begged him not to take such a risk, that may alert ill-intentioned eyes to Yuuki's presence.

Cross had a hand over Yuuki's head, stroking her hair gently, and the other over Kaname's shoulders, caressing his arm as well. The two may not be biologically his children, but he viewed them as nothing other than that, and pulled them closer to himself lovingly. Yuuki remained asleep, merely cuddling up closer, while Kaname stirred a bit at the movement, but even asleep he was aware of his surroundings, and only feeling the peaceful proximity and the soothing scent of his loved ones, the boy didn't wake up, just making a little noise and burying his face closer against the man's shoulder.

Cross smiled fondly at the two and looked up to the peaceful sky he could see through the nearby window, whispering softly "The children are doing just fine, Juri."

.

.

* * *

_I was wondering if it was obvious from the beginning who the two in the snow were. :D  
The idea was that at the beginning, you might think it was Kaname and Yuuki, and then when he wants to touch her hair but gives up, you might think it's Zero and Yuuki… but then it quickly becomes clear that it was actually Kaien and Juri… X3_


	19. 19 : Zero

_19th story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous 18. :D_

_**#: 19**_

_**Title: Zero**_

_**Characters:**__ Kaname, Yuuki and… Zero. XD_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it._

_**Warnings:**__ Spoilers for the recent manga chapters. Also, unlike some of my other fics with the trio, this one is Kaname x Yuuki, rather than all three of them involved with each other, so Zero x Yuuki fans might not enjoy it as much. ^^; (Her feelings for Zero in this one are more friendly/brotherly only, although you can wonder…)

* * *

_

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.

While waiting to see if the Academy would be able to reopen at a later date, Kaname and Yuuki were living in a large villa that belonged to the Kurans, and of which Kaname had regained control now that his former guardian was on the run and no longer had any power over the Kuran estate.  
Neither of them wanted to return to the family's old manor, too filled with painful memories for them, so they had settled for this slightly smaller, more airy house instead.

Things were not the easiest, with the reorganization of much of the vampire society and of the Hunter Association, and with everything still being so uncertain, but at least they could find solace in the fact that they had each other.

Yuuki was happy to have Kaname around, even more so now that she knew he was so much more for her than just her savior.  
As for Kaname, he was absolutely overjoyed to have her back at last, and also to be able to finally be completely open to her, now that there was no longer a need to hide who he really was to protect her.

That joy was however mitigated by the fact that, much as Yuuki was happy with him, she was also terribly sad to be separated from Zero. They'd been so close, and now the truth about her nature had torn them away. For Yuuki, it was like losing both a brother and a best friend, a part of her soul inevitably torn from her.  
Much as she'd smile for Kaname, he could clearly see the lingering sadness in her eyes, in some ways and in some moments reminding him of how miserable he felt during the ten years he'd been forced to be apart from her.

If there was one thing in the world that Kaname Kuran couldn't possibly stand, it was seeing sadness coming from Yuuki: he would have done absolutely anything he possibly could to make her happy.

He believed that with time things would get better, that having him next to her, she would perhaps hurt less, and that maybe with time Zero would come to accept himself and the vampires in general more and not hold against Yuuki the fact that she wasn't born human. But even though time might fix the problem, it didn't change the fact that Kaname's heart was torn to see Yuuki suffering, and didn't want her to have to _wait_ to feel better. He couldn't help but always want to provide a solution for her every problem instantly.

He'd tried all he could, doting on her constantly, being as present as he possibly could, but happy as she may be with him, she'd still look sad when she thought of Zero.

Kaname went as far as swallowing his pride and going after the hunter despite all that had happened before.  
Zero was now constantly on the move, partially taking part in Kaien Cross's effort to reorganize the Hunter Association, and partially hunting level E's on his own. Kaname managed to track him down however, and showed up one evening.  
Zero nearly shot him when the pureblood hinted that_ 'perhaps he could come and live with them?'_

Kaname wasn't sure if the hunter realized how much it had cost him to offer such an unthinkable thing, but either way, Zero had adamantly refused, and insisted that he was very tempted to switch back to his genocide plan if Kuran didn't get the hell out of his place right that minute.

Giving up wasn't in Kaname's nature, but he couldn't exactly drag Zero to Yuuki by force and expect him to stay, so he had to retreat, for the moment at least, hoping to have more luck in the future, if perhaps the hunter had changed a bit his views on things by then. He'd have used other methods to try and convince him, but he knew Yuuki would disapprove of forcing her friend with blackmail or other such methods, so he had no choice.

In what he viewed as a poor attempt to make up for his failure, Kaname had returned home bringing Yuuki a grey tabby kitten instead, thinking that at least she'd have a little company during the times when he was momentarily away dealing with the various matters that had arisen from the remnants of the old council clashing with the newly established –and non-corrupt—new council.

--

Understandably, Kaname was rather surprised when, (not even a single day after he'd returned from his failed attempt to convince the hunter), Yuuki woke him up in the middle of the morning, --a mere few hours after he'd gone to bed--, looking desperate and pleading softly "Kaname, help me find Zero!! I don't know where he went!!"

Kaname stared at her dumbfounded for a second, but before he could shake off the sleep and ask her what she meant, Yuuki was gone already, calling out for Zero as she ran in her nightgown through the corridors of the Kuran villa.

Kaname stared at the open door, for once unsure what to say, and dreadfully afraid that despair had broken her mind or something. It wasn't unheard of in the least, for purebloods, but he hadn't thought her sadness ran so deeply into hopelessness. Had he overseen something? Had he misjudged the intensity of her feelings for her friend, blinded that he was in his belief that her heart belonged to him and not to another?

He followed her around the house, fear rising in his chest the more he saw that she was not joking in the least, and was indeed completely serious in her attempt to find Zero in the house.

Kaname didn't know how to react, and fearing that trying to confront her with reality might do more harm than good, he tagged along, trying to help in her search as well, following her from room to room as she opened various doors and searched everywhere, sometimes even in small places that puzzled Kaname and made him even more worried that she had indeed completely lost her mind –he was quite sure Zero would never have fit in the cupboard she'd just opened, for example.

As they walked back into the main corridor between the rooms in the second floor, he was about to hug her and try to comfort her and promise that he'd try again, and that one way or another he'd bring Zero back for her… when his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by her unexpected squeal of joy.

Yuuki rushed and squatted down in front of the open door of a closet, exclaiming "There you are, Zero!!"

Kaname stared with shock at first, and then understanding dawned when she turned back to him… with the grey kitten in her arms, and a wide grin on her face.

"I was so worried, I couldn't find him anywhere, and I feared he'd… uhm, ran away from us like Zero… I mean… Oh…"

Only now was Yuuki realizing, from the look of mixed relief and sill vague stress on Kaname's face, that she'd forgotten to tell him of the name she'd picked for the kitten, and that the past several minutes must have been rather bizarre for him…

Knowing that Yuuki hadn't lost her mind, and was merely a little… overly care-free as she'd also been as a human was extremely relieving for Kaname, even though he still made the firm decision in his mind to try again later and figure out a way to bring back Yuuki's… _other 'escaped kitten'_, the real Zero.

All in all, Kaname was in a much better mood after finding out that his fears about Yuuki's sanity were unfounded, and he could slip back into a much needed sleep as soon as they had returned to the room.

At least, until two or three hours later, when Yuuki woke him up again, shaking his shoulder, in a new panic now.

"Kaname, help me! Zero snuck into the bathroom and crawled into the back of the toilet bowl! He's stuck in the porcelain part of the bowl, I'm afraid I might hurt him if I try to get him out, you have to break the wall to take him out safely!!"

"..."

Kaname buried his face in the pillow and sighed deeply, finally starting to think that maybe it would have been less trouble if he'd just tried to drag the hunter there by force after all, at risk of being shot by the Bloody Rose or not…

.

.

.

* * *

_I was thinking of grey haired kittens, and the image of Yuuki running around looking for "Zero", and Kaname worried that she'd gone crazy (because he didn't know she'd named the kitten Zero) inevitably came to my mind… and so this ficlet was born. XD;;_


	20. 20 : Watching you sleep

_20th story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous 19. :D_

_**#: 20**_

_**Title: Watching you sleep.  
**__**Characters: Kaname x Zero / Zero x Kaname**_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warnings:** Spoilers for chapter 35 of the manga, but that's it._

_  
Just a random Kaname & Zero ficlet for fun and for the sweet loving interaction. (Since my current ongoing fic series has so much angst at the moment, hahahaha. XD;; )_

_No back-story for this one since it's just a short ficlet... I suppose they're in a threesome with Yuuki, but she's elsewhere at the moment in a travel or something, and thus Zero has to endure the full force of Kaname's love focused all on him for the moment rather than aimed at both at once. XD It's __**a lot**__ of love to put up with, but it's most pleasant to endure. ;D *lol*_

* * *

.

.

"Hmm, go away Kaname, I'm not in the mood. I have to get up early tomorrow."

But the complaint held no bite, just the usual moodiness that disguised actual gentleness in the hunter's voice. The pureblood chuckled fondly, snuggling closer and playing with a disarrayed tuft of silver hair, paying no heed to the injunction to go away.  
In moments like those, Zero wryly wondered if he might have been able to sleep more easily if he'd been laying next to Lilly the horse, since purebloods and her seemed to share the same fascination with messing with hair.

Kaname and Zero still lived in opposed schedules due to the necessities of the world they lived in –Kaname being a pureblood and having various obligations in the vampire society, and Zero having his duties to the Hunter Association—, but they tried to find various ways to get around the issue to spend more time together. One of those solutions, Kaname's idea, consisted of watching Zero sleep. He couldn't always do it if he was too busy, but he at least spent a while watching the hunter each night, or working on paperwork nearby while keeping a fond eye on his sleeping lover.  
Zero wouldn't often admit it, but he also regularly watched Kaname sleeping in the mornings.

At the present moment it was night though, and Zero was trying his best to fall asleep so that he could get enough rest.

Kaname was laying on his front, partially over him, head propped on his hands as he intensely gazed at his lover, who had made sure to put a blanket between them in hopes of preventing Kaname from getting too tempted.

As it was the pureblood was already wearing a short silk robe that left his long legs mostly bare, and Zero suspected Kaname was wearing nothing beneath it. He had that light in his eyes that told the hunter it was best to look asleep within five seconds if he didn't want to stay up all night. So Zero just covered his face with his forearm and did his best to appear sleepy. Tiredness quickly caught up and soon his consciousness was wavering back and forth almost completely asleep.

Kaname inched closer, laying his chin on his lover's chest and sighing softly, a pleasant warmth rising to his cheeks because the proximity of Zero made him smell his scent even better, and that always did all sorts of things to the pureblood, who was very attuned to his senses. He stared at his lover's face intently, the hunter's soft breathing making the corners of Kaname's lips curl up into an amused smile as he caressed his lover's face with the tips of his fingers.

Zero opened a drowsy eye and shot him a forced glare, but his lips contradictorily curved into a half smile.

"Kuran, has anyone told you before that you're a little bit creepily obsessive when you're in love?"

The pureblood laughed softly, laying his head on his lover's chest so that the weight of his gaze would stop disturbing the hunter trying to fall asleep. Zero's strong heartbeat and the gentle thrum of the blood in his veins were so intensely soothing to the pureblood that Kaname nearly fell asleep as well, despite the fact that his own bedtime was still several hours away. He sighed lovingly, enjoying the complete peace of the moment, something he'd often missed in his life until now. How paradoxical, for a vampire –especially a pureblood—to finally find so much peace and such a deep feeling of safety in a hunter's arms. But Kaname felt safer in Zero's arms than anywhere else.

For so many years –perhaps all his life—the pureblood had to be the strong one, to protect Yuuki, to protect all that was dear to him. In control, perfect, invincible, unable to ever have a moment of respite from that flawless mask that left no opening for his enemies. And for so long, he'd deeply ached, vulnerable inside, hurting so badly beneath that mask, the loneliness rising higher and higher, especially since back then even with Yuuki he couldn't be fully open without putting her in risk.

Now that his gentle princess was back to her real self, Kaname didn't have to be in charge of everything at all times anymore – he was still just as protective of her as ever, but Yuuki was perfectly able to take care of herself now that her powers had risen back to the level they should normally be at, so at least he didn't have to constantly worry or constantly be the strong one.

And now, there was Zero. A most unexpected trick of fate throwing together purebloods and hunter and having them all get along fine.

Kaname raised his head a little, his warm and loving gaze caressing his lover's sleeping face.

_He looks like an angel asleep like that._

Zero happened to have the same opinion of Kaname. When the pureblood was deeply asleep and completely relaxed, he looked much younger and his face lost some of the compelling power it often had during the day, to take on instead an almost child-like innocence, the light flush of sleep contrasting irresistibly with his pale skin. There were days were Zero stared at that delicate face and swore to himself he'd gut whoever tried to hurt Kaname, feeling surprised and almost scared by the possessive protective urges he'd developed towards the other vampire over time.

Currently, Zero was still deeply asleep, and Kaname was still snuggled close to him, inhaling the enticing scent coming from the hunter's neck and his hair. The pureblood ran a nimble finger over the piercings on the hunter's left ear, feeling the cool metal brush lightly under his skin, before his finger disappeared into the hunter's hair, softly caressing his head, careful to not wake him. He resisted the temptation to kiss him, which would most likely wake him up.

The pale skin of the hunter's neck uncovered further as he shifted slightly in his sleep and his shirt collar slid down a bit. Kaname's eyes were automatically attracted, but he resisted bravely, contenting himself with inhaling the beloved scent of the younger vampire.

He teased his lover mercilessly when they were awake, but if there was one thing Kaname wouldn't do, it was touching Zero's neck while the hunter was asleep. It was like an unspoken promise, something sacred which he refused to break.

He knew well how deep Zero's scars ran. He knew it particularly well, because he himself carried deeply buried traumas as well, things that even now still haunted him. So he understood how long it had taken Zero to finally accept the idea of a vampire near his neck. Kaname took it as a blessing that the hunter would even allow him to touch him there while he was awake, and wouldn't dare to break his trust nor do anything that might accidentally trigger a traumatic memory while Zero slept. He would never betray the trust Zero placed in him.

Even now, the hunter's instincts could on rare occasions dangerously react to him while Zero was asleep or in between sleep and waking, because Kaname's aura and scent were so unmistakably those of a pureblood, and Zero's instincts on the subject were very clear.  
For some reason, the transition had been easier with Yuuki, maybe because even though she was now a pureblood too, Zero's body unconsciously recognized her more easily as being the same person who used to caress his hair until he fell asleep, during the troubled nights years ago. But with Kaname it had taken months of them together before Zero could slowly ease into being able to accept Kaname nearby while he was asleep.

But then, things hadn't been any easier for the pureblood, albeit not for the same reasons.

Even asleep, Kaname could recognize Zero and remain peacefully asleep even if the hunter entered the room – a complete proof of how the pureblood trusted him on a deeply unconscious level—but that was _now_. It had taken him a while to become able to accept someone's presence in the room while he was asleep, even if that was the presence of his lover. The eight years spent under Ichiou's roof had made Kaname even more paranoid than another pureblood would already naturally be. The slightest little shifting in the wood or natural noise in the building would startle him into waking up and quickly extending his aura to check if anyone had entered his room.

But time, love, and mutual trust had helped soothe the wounds of the past a bit, and Kaname had grown able to remain relaxed and asleep, rather than waking up, once his aura identified the other person in the room as being his lover. Maybe eventually Yuuki and Zero's company would heal the deeper wounds that still remained in the pureblood's very soul.

Moved by an irresistible need for more closeness to push back the memories of the past, Kaname buried his face against his lover's chest suddenly, nuzzling him lovingly and curling up against his side. Inevitably, it prompted Zero to wake up and glare at him anew, before exclaiming in an outraged voice, "Kuran, will you finally let me sleep or what?!!"

But instead of pushing the pureblood away, Zero wrapped an arm around Kaname's shoulders and pulled him closer, in a protective embrace that conveyed all the warmth the pureblood needed and some more.

Kaname couldn't help but smile in delight and snuggle up against him.

_Yes… love could change anything, could even pull former enemies together… _

_._

_._

_._

_

* * *

_

Fluff~! XD Fluffity fluff fluff~! *lol*


	21. 21 : A pureblood's seed

__

_**21th story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous 20. :D**_

_**#: 21  
**__**Title: A pureblood's seed.  
**__**Characters: Aidou** (Implied Kaname x Aidou m/m relationship. Don't read if that squicks you.)  
Mentions of Kaname, Tsukiko (Aidou's sister) and Aidou's father._

Aidou ponders on the events of the vampire party in volume 6 of the manga, his feelings for Kaname, his family, and their relationship.  
_Boring, perhaps. I wrote this just because I felt like writing down Aidou's vision of that, and well, a plot bunny popped into my mind and wouldn't let go. XD; *lol*  
Midway there, it gets strange. 8D;;_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__Warnings: Spoilers for volume 6 of the manga, but nothing bad. (Just the ball scene with the Aidous & Kaname.)_

_**Narrated from Aidou's POV. **_

* * *

.

I couldn't believe it at first.

I was mortified when I heard my father's words and saw that endearingly cute but downright _silly_ blush on Tsukiko's face.

Truth to be said, perhaps I should have seen it coming – after all, among the vampire aristocracy, _that_ is one of the main things on the forefront of absolutely every father with a daughter of age, much less three.  
Some even have the impudence of whispering among themselves that it's a pureblood's main duty to our race. Some among those –fiends who in my opinion don't deserve the air they breathe— even dare to say it's a pureblood's only_ 'use' _in this day and age. I could choke with shock at the mere memory of the various times I've overheard such unforgivable talks. Or at the memory of the look in Kaname-sama's eyes when he overheard them – as if the fools could possibly speak low enough for him not to hear. Perhaps they _meant_ for him to hear it. I wish I could freeze and shatter to pieces every single last one of them. I wish I could free the world of anyone who wishes to force anything upon Kaname-sama, or anyone who dares to cause his beautiful eyes to be filled with that cornered look that breaks my heart, and that he disguises much too well --so well that other people would think it is no more than bored annoyance, while I know well that it is so much more than that.

But I digress.

I was talking about the party my father held, where he introduced my sister to Kaname-sama, in the foolish attempt to get him to perhaps grant her a night and grace her with his pure seed to strengthen our clan.

As I was saying, it's really not uncommon for male purebloods to honor the families of their chosen allies with their seed in this manner, but to ask such a thing of Kaname-sama of all people! What a presumptuous idea!! Especially when so many impudent fathers had been already pestering him with their daughters from the very first moment he hit puberty, to the point that he actually had to make clear that he intended to reject the subject completely, for them to actually leave him alone for a moment.

Until my father dared to put Kaname-sama at the foot of the wall in the party we held and invited him to, that is.

For some reason I had never expected my genitor to make that request, and I was utterly shocked at the words coming out of his lips.

Perhaps it was because Kaname-sama had made it clear over the years how much the idea displeased him. Perhaps it's because my whole family worships the ground Kaname-sama walks on – which is completely understandable, I do it just as much if not more than any of them.  
Perhaps it's because I'm still too much of an idealist, and I assumed that my father would respect Kaname-sama as much as I did, and wouldn't dare asking him something that we all know well he did not wish to do.

But then again, perhaps my father puts his offspring above his respect for Kaname-sama, however much that may shock me, and however much immense his respect may still be. I would never doubt my father's loyalty to Kaname-sama, but I realize that when one has a family, some things are inevitable, horrible as they may seem. And my father has many daughters. Any aristocrat vampire with this many daughters would be begging at the doorstep of every pureblood they knew, in hopes that at least one of their daughters would be graced with a child of powerful blood to strengthen the bloodline.

I would like to think it is just that, a father's natural worry for his offspring making him take extreme measures. That might still be forgivable, but if my father had dared to ask because he assumed in any way that Kaname-sama was indebted to us, I would never forgive him.

By the way, Kaname-sama was of course absolutely gracious in his reply. Until now, he would merely refuse to even discuss the subject when someone had the gall to bring it up, but just because it was our family making the demand, he was kind enough to say he would consider it, even if I know he only said it to be polite.

The collateral effect of that kindness is that my sister Tsukiko seems to be strangely hopeful. She was naturally quite taken aback by him – _who wouldn't be?  
_Since then, it has evolved into a complete crush. I was rather shocked to see her notebooks filled with hearts around Kaname-sama's name, drawn in pink ink. Embarrassing to say the least. Not that I haven't done the exact same –minus the pink ink, mind you—, but I have the decency to hide it better. Especially from Luca.

And now, each time I visit my family, Tsukiko comes running to ask me if Kaname-sama has mentioned her, or if I think he might still be considering the question, or if I think he might have forgotten –the latter said in a nearly tearful voice.

I found the demand incredibly impudent, but I love my family and seeing my sister sad inevitably saddens me too. Moreover… I can't help but feel a terrible pang of guilt in my heart when I lie to her, insisting that I have no idea at all, and that Kaname-sama doesn't tells me anything on the subject. I feel even worse when she looks too sad and I end up occasionally making up stories to try and make her feel better, telling her things like _'I'm sure he hasn't forgotten and might just need time to make up his mind or something'_, when in truth I have always known he never intended to consider it seriously.

Because the truth is, I do know the answer.

He tells me _everything_ these days –or almost everything, at least– and the answer to Tsukiko's demand is _**no**_, because his seed already belongs to someone else...

Me.

I'd try to explain, at least to my father, if anything because I can't help the burning curiosity to know if he would be shocked or approve –shocked for my well-hidden penchant for men, or approve because my lover is Kaname-sama.

But I know I will never tell him. I have always been his beloved son, the long awaited male heir born after several daughters and so many years of waiting. I'm too comfortable with that position, and much too afraid that on light of my relationship with Kaname-sama, my father might change his mind about me… or the opposite, feel some sort of misplaced pride and tell me he wished I had ovaries, since I've so well taken Tsukiko's place.

That would just be much too disturbing to hear.

.

.

.

* * *

_My Aidou fangirling mood has been high lately. XD;; (And from the strange way this fic went, my Muses seem to be high too. XD;)  
I've written this fic a long time ago, but only now ended up editing and posting. :)_

_It starts serious, and then it kind of turns to crack somewhere along the way. XD XD;; *lol* At some point by the part where Aidou was writing Kaname's name and drawing hearts around it too. *LOL*_

_--_

_Unrelatedly, since many of you have asked me when **"Cradle of Blood"** **12** will be out, I meant to post it this week-end, but I'm not sure if it will be ready on time, sorry. ^^;  
My Muses are being fickle and end up writing scenes from different chapters of it ahead of time instead of properly finishing chapter 12 first. XD;;;;;  
So if it's not out this week-end, then (hopefully) it will be Wednesday. :D Sorry for the delay on that chapter. ^^;_


	22. 22 : Waiting for you

_**22th story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous 21. :D**_

_**#: 22  
Title: **__"Waiting for you."_

_**Characters:** Kaname-centered, a few others appear as well. :)_

_**AU. And not all is what it seems to be. *lol* XD **_

* * *

.

.

Each day was like an endless cycle for Kaname.

The owner of the shop would roll up the shutters, and he'd flinch at the sudden sunlight hitting his sensitive senses.  
The man would carry him back into a more shady area so that he didn't burn up during the hotter hours of the day, but always made sure to leave him in full sight of the customers.

Kaname was after all, among the most beautiful _merchandise_ in that shop, far superior to anyone surrounding him.

The business hours would start, and with them, a continuous stream of people coming in and out of the shop, the noise, smells, heavy movements all inevitably disturbing to Kaname and the others, but that was inevitable whenever there was any interaction between humans and _them_.

Ironic, that the humans should be able to disturb them so much and yet find them so beautiful and desirable, constantly approaching them as if fascinated.

Each day, Kaname would watch the procession of customers coming in, looking around and leaving, or staying a little longer and choosing one of them. There were always new arrivals, so their number rarely diminished, although it was always bittersweet to see faces he'd grown used to seeing leave.

Aidou, a bubbly youngster who had grown on Kaname despite everything, had been picked up and sold the previous day.  
The customer who took him home had spent quite a while looking at Kaname first, but the price tag attached to him made the man settle for Aidou instead.

Kaname was far, far more expensive.

He sighed softly as he watched the rain outside, and people rushing in the street, trying to avoid the drops by covering themselves with folded newspapers and all sorts of things. He wondered what that might feel like. He'd been locked indoors all his life, and never felt rain falling on his body.  
He'd never known the freedom of being outside or feeling the wind on his face, much less rain.

_It looked like something that must be so pleasant. And it probably would be refreshing, even with the sunlight outside._

But then, he was far too delicate and too expensive. Resistant and resilient in his sheer ability to go on surviving, and yet paradoxically so precious and delicate.  
The owner didn't even want to let him get too close to the windows, by fear that too much light might harm his delicate complexion.

With each day that passed, Kaname grew more beautiful and more desirable, but still, no one took him home with them, preferring instead the cheaper and less difficult to handle ones.

On top of being expensive, he was _'special'_. They expected him to be a delicate and hard to care for thing, far too different from the more quick-rewarding and readily replaced ones.

Despite the constant disappointments, he still hoped, and each day he feigned a haughty disinterest while actually carefully scrutinizing each customer that entered the shop.  
He watched them talk to the owner, wander through the shop, look at the others who were for sale or ask questions, and he carefully weighed each of their gestures and words, trying to guess what type of people they might be, and whether any of them would finally buy him and become his master.

Initially, he'd feared it a little, wondering how it would be like, to be all alone, taken into someone's house and not knowing what to expect of them and all.  
But the more time had passed, the more he was worried that maybe _no one_ would choose him. That he would always be left behind, and that no one would ever love him and care for him.

Not that the owner didn't care for them, but it just… _It wasn't the same thing._

The man did take great care of them, grooming them and arranging them beautifully every day, but one couldn't exactly say he loved them, or at least not the way Kaname wanted to be loved.

The man's love was a vaguely fatherly, vaguely mercantile type of thing, while Kaname wanted to be loved with the true passion that sweeps one off their feet and carries them away. A passion that would be strong enough to make him _want_ that person to take his body and soul for themselves.

Sometimes, he wondered if maybe he had idealized views of such things.

He was horrified by the idea that maybe one day someone would drop by, take a casual look at him and buy him, only to lock him somewhere and forget about him after a short while, leaving him to spend the rest of his life in meaningless emptiness.

Now _that_ would be horrifying. He'd much rather be stuck in the shop forever than have a master that didn't care for him.

But that fear aside, each day he watched each of the customers, holding his breath as they approached him, trying his best to look as seductive as he could, whenever the customer approaching seemed a nice person.

_What if I misjudged them though…? _

He shuddered at the thought, wondering if his eventual master would be a gentle one who would care for him with pleasurable caresses and soft words, or if it would be a cruel and uncaring one, that would bind him cruelly and ravage him until his body could take no more and wished for nothing but a welcome end.

He tried to look _uninteresting_ whenever customers that appeared to be of the less pleasant type approached him, but that was far from being easy, for one who looked as gorgeous as him. It was no wonder that the owner always set up the displays with Kaname as the center of interest.

Finally, on another rainy afternoon, a young man with striking silver hair and eyes of a soft amethyst shade came in, catching everybody's attention. He'd run there after having been caught under the rain without an umbrella. He was slightly out of breath as he brushed droplets of rain off his silky hair, and Kaname felt like he'd never seen a human this enchanting.

_If only he could choose me, I am sure I would be happy._

But after such a long wait living in that shop, and after getting used to seeing people come in and out without buying him each and every single day, Kaname had little hope.

The man was so lively and looked so energetic. They were absolutely opposites in everything, so what hope could he have that the other would even be interested in him to begin with? Not to mention that Kaname also feared that perhaps the other wouldn't have enough to purchase him, from how young he was.

Much to Kaname's surprise, the young man, which the shop owner seemed to know and called by his name –Zero, a name Kaname instantly committed to his memory as soon as he heard it—, approached the display and didn't even pay attention to anyone else, staring straight at him and at none of the others.

For a second, Kaname felt as if his heart had stopped, as the young man's face approached him, little beads of rain still stuck to his hair and eyelashes, an angelic smile on his lips.

He feared that his heart might break if that young man were to suddenly turn away and leave like each of the other customers.

But instead, Zero raised his hand and gently caressed him. _On a rather sensitive spot._  
Kaname's confusion and –much to his own surprise— delighted shock were such that he slightly blanked out, and the next thing he noticed, he was in Zero's arms, and the young man carried him to the cashier desk with complete ease.

"I'll take this one, please."

If it was possible to cling to someone for fear that the dream would suddenly end or something, Kaname clung with all he had. Zero didn't even seem surprised by the price or anything, although he vaguely mentioned while talking to the cashier that he wouldn't have had enough if not for the chairman of his school having given him some money earlier that day. The cashier, on the other hand, explained to Zero about Kaname's origins and rarity, talking about the nine orchids and other such legends, while giving him a little booklet on how to care for his new purchase.

"You made an excellent choice, sir. This orchid is really the most beautiful specimen in this flower shop. Just make sure to keep it out of the direct sunlight and give it water once or twice a week. It would be best to apply the water to the base rather than the leaves, although you can also wipe the leaves dry after misting."

Zero nodded attentively, and the owner put a shiny sateen ribbon around Kaname's pot to complete the packaging, before smiling at Zero, who in turn looked at Kaname and beamed that angelic smile of his once more.

Kaname felt as if he was swooning again, and leaned happily into the young man's embrace as Zero carried him away, out of the shop and towards a new life which would certainly be filled with happiness.

.

.

* * *

**Epilogue:**

"Oh, Zero, it's so gorgeous! I can't accept it!!"

"Of course you can, Yuuki! It's your birthday present, the chairman even contributed so that we'd get it for you together."

"But… it looks so attached to you…"

She did have a point. If it was in any way possible for a plant to cling onto someone, Kaname was doing it. Zero almost did a double-take when he looked closer at the orchid and realized what Yuuki meant.

And truth to be said, much as he felt guilty for harboring such feelings for something purchased as a present for Yuuki, Zero had to admit that for some reason he was also very reluctant to let go of the elegant orchid. Perhaps they could find a compromise that would please all three of them...

"Well, we do both live in the same Sun Dorms, and the buildings are really close… I suppose if you insist we could always take care of it together, or take turns with who keeps it in their room?"

Yuuki beamed happily at the suggestion. "That would work great!"

She hugged the pot, and Zero caressed the petals of one of the flowers with the tip of a finger. Kaname shuddered hard under the contact, and couldn't help but swoon again, flooded with pleasure from the young man's touch, his brain seeming to be overloaded by the sensations and unable to function properly.

But it was a delicious feeling, and he knew now that he would be very happy with them.

.

.

.

* * *

_I bet you were expecting another brothel AU? XD *LOL*  
This is in part inspired by me having named my orchid "Kaname". XD;  
*names many of her plants after VK characters, has a "Kaname" orchid and a "Kaname" rose*_

_I agree with kanshou87's review that Kaname MUST be able to magically switch from plant to person body, hahaha~! XD I had the same thing in mind too. XD *lol*  
Sex life will be far more interesting if he can. *is shot* 8D *lol*_

_The original plot bunny was to be more serious, longer, and have more angst about Kaname's fears that his master would be one who would lose interest in him fast and let him to dry up in some corner, or one who would take poor care of him and mess things up one way or another. XD;  
(The part about binding and all was inspired by having seen orchids for sale in a shop that were tightly tied to the little wooden pole, with their leaves trimmed shorter because the tips had dried due to too much light or not enough water… XD; They looked a bit hurt by it, hence the line in the fic about binding and ravaging.  
Gardening-wise, it's probably not as bad for them as it sounds (maybe... *felt bad for the planties anyway* D:), but anything can and will trigger strange angsty plot bunnies in my depraved mind, soooo… XD;;; Orchids and roses inevitably make me think of Kaname, so it was bound to happen. XD; *lol*_


	23. 23 : Blood tablets

_**23th story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous 22. :D**_

_**#: 23  
Title: **__"Blood tablets."_

_**Characters:** Aidou, blood tablets, and indirectly Kaname. :)_

* * *

.

.

He hated the blood tablets.

He hated their flavor, that saccharine artificial taste that clung to the back of your throat with a vaguely powdery feeling that made you want to cough your lungs out as soon as you finished a cup of the liquid.

He hated the pinkish color, too light, too transparent, too fake; they had never managed to replicate closely the look or texture of blood while still keeping the tablet's necessary properties.

He hated the little opaque dust that remained at the very bottom of the cup, and that you could sort of see through the semi-transparent liquid, as an ever present threat of a strange, gross substance about to be swallowed if you drank too fast.

.

But he loved Kaname. He loved everything the pureblood was, and would gladly give his very blood to achieve anything Kaname may wish for.

So Hanabusa Aidou went on drinking the repulsive pink wish-wash, day after day, hoping that on the long run maybe it would stop tasting so bad.

If Kaname could lower himself to drink it, so would he. And if Kaname wished them to drink that instead of blood for the sake of the peace between humans and vampires, then he would do as his pureblood love wished.

Because Aidou might be the _'idol'_ of the Day Class girls, but Kaname Kuran was the only idol worshipped on the blond's altar.

.

.

* * *

_Aidou x Kaname & Kaname x Aidou urges have been soaring high for me lately, but I'm too busy with CoB to pay much attention to the two Aidou x Kaname fics I want to write at some point (though I'm glad for the little Aidou x Kaname moments in CoB too XD), so, well, here's a quick little drabble. X3_

_Incidentally, this drabble came about because I drank something or another that turned out to be gross and have dubious dusty stuff at the bottom, and so I immeditaly thought of blood tablets. 8D;;  
_


	24. 24 : A child on the chessboard

_**24th story in my series of short stories with various VK characters.  
Independent from the previous 23. **_

_**#: 24  
Title: **__"A child on the chessboard."_

_**

* * *

**_

.

.

He remembered with perfect clarity the day he was introduced to the boy.

And as they walked to the meeting room – vampire side and hunter side walking in clearly distinct groups and eyeing each other warily, distrust obvious in their every gesture—, the man recalled to his mind that introduction and those first moments of interaction, passed in what had been several years ago, but to him seemed but a breath in time.

_You stand proud now, leading the way and walking ahead of our group, but what is your entire lifetime so far, is nothing but a few instants for me. _

_Even though you will ultimately live far longer than I could ever hope to, as of now you are to me as much of a child as you were that summer afternoon years ago, when your parents brought you to my household, their royal bearing and appearances of power nothing but a mere disguise to cover up the anguish lying hidden close under the surface. You had no one then, and they had hoped to find suitable playmates to quench your loneliness. Playmates that would make powerful allies when the day came and you all grew up. Many of the aristocrat families were wary of letting their children fill that position, afraid of attracting the wrath of the council over their offspring if it looked like they were standing against the elders by favoring the royalist faction… The vampire aristocracy left you bitterly alone, surrounded by adults and people who would use you for your power and throw you away like a rag if they had the chance.  
With the political stance my household had traditionally taken over the centuries, your parents thought rightfully that we were the best choice for providing you with a playmate that would grow up by your side without cowering at the face of the council or betraying you._

_But my own son rejected you brutally when you offered him your friendship, and even after so many years, you are still alone, are you not?  
Oh, you have many people surrounding you –my son being paradoxically one of your most avid followers, even if you torture him so to punish him for his past indiscretion.  
But no one is truly touching your heart, are they? You are infatuated with a woman who has not the wit or the maturity to see her place as our future queen, and you are yourself even more horribly alone as you were the day you first came to my house, that day when it took only one moment of distraction of us adults for you to run off in a manner most unbefitting to your rank, wandering through the house in complete breach of protocol just because of your childish hope of meeting my son, unable that you were to hold back your eagerness and wait until the adults allowed you to meet him._

_Well, Kaname-_'sama'_, you are now playing in the grown-ups' playground. But if you think you have a better chance at it than you did in your failures those years ago, you are wrong. To me, you are still but a child. You may be rid of Ichiou, but you will find in me an even more formidable opponent. You may yet regret to have put an end to the council, as they at least had the deeply ingrained dread of purebloods driving them into a certain fear-born respect._

_I have walked alongside the Kuran clan for tens of centuries. My clan has backed yours with the necessary power and logistics for so long that you couldn't even exist without us._

_We may not be born of pure blood, but we can assure you, you have yet to comprehend the danger the aristocracy can be for you, and to understand what you have truly put yourself into._

_For centuries, Ichiou and I have played that mental chess battle from afar, and the only reason the council, rather than the Kuran allies, had you under their control for those ten long years, was because your very own parents had left in their will that they wished for Ichiou to be your guardian if it came to be… _

_Unlike you, they did know that I would have made an even more frightening watchdog than Ichiou could ever be._

_You have no idea what chains you have wrapped around your own neck by eliminating the council and putting yourself in the position of needing our support and protection. You will be forever our slave under your royal crown, if you even get to ever be crowned…_

A cold shiver ran up the dark-haired pureblood's spine, but he didn't let anything show on his face. He could feel lord Aidou's cold stare boring into his back with each step that brought them closer to the meeting room where he'd seal his fate by signing the treaty between the vampire race and the hunters as the representative of the vampire race.

Stealing a glance to the side, Kaname searched the hunter group with the corner of his eyes, trying to get an idea of what Zero or Cross were thinking, but all he got was a dark murderous glare from the first and an evasive worried look from the second, and neither of the three had the luxury to speak openly of what was haunting their respective minds.

_The future will be whatever we can make of it, there's no backing out of it now._

_Alea jacta est._

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- The End -

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_This ficlet may turn out to be 100% AU or right on the mark, depending on how Aidou's father chooses to behave in the manga, hahaha~ XD  
It was inspired by the fact I have a vague distrust for Lord Aidou. XD  
He always has that cold look on his face that makes me wonder if his intentions for Kaname are all that nice.  
I first got that feeling when, after Kaname struck against the council, Aidou's father seemed to hesitate for a moment if he should go with the people accusing Kaname of having lost his mind. XD; (When the vampire society decides that a purebloods has 'lost their mind', it does not bodes well for them, as seen by Shizuka's case where they were hunting her down to lock her away…)_

_And more recently (chapter 50), while they were negotiating with the hunters to try and arrange for the meeting, Aidou's dad was going with Kaname to places etc., and, well, you know how Kaname hates having to do all the political stuff etc., so he took a break to run home and see Yuuki to replenish in forces/courage to continue putting himself through it all… he made a stop by the Kuran mansion solely to get a kiss in the cheek from Yuuki. XD  
And Aidou's dad, popping in making a face like he found that stupid, interrupted them and called Kaname away telling him they had to leave right now and all. O_o  
Not only that, but he didn't even salute Yuuki, initially, despite her being a pureblood.  
Aidou himself was quite shocked at his dad's behavior.  
Me, being the angst-fic loving person I am, I latched for the plot bunnies. XD;; *lol*  
_

_Even without considering the more visible stuff in the most recent chapters, if you look back into volume 6, at the vampire ball held by the Aidou family… Aidou's father invited Kaname to the ball, and then used that and the fact Kaname needed his alliance, to go and impose on him an introduction to his daughter, something Kaname had clearly made known to the vampire aristocracy as a whole that it was a subject he absolutely refused.  
Aidou himself was all shocked and displeased… not surprisingly, considering how blatantly his dad was invading Kaname's boundaries.  
(Btw, it's not openly said but the undercurrent in that exchange is that it was not for a marriage possibility, but in hopes Kaname would "take a fancy" in the daughter, possibly because purebloods can strengthen a family's bloodline… the way Rido did for his allies in the Shiki clan… And the Aidou family being the more prominent clan in the royalist faction (royalist = pro-Kuran), Aidou's father seemed to assume he could demand such things of Kaname… ^^;  
Yet more delightful fic possibilities. *lol*  
_

_Rido might not have had any qualms about sleeping around or spreading his seed left and right, but Kaname spent years refusing to even talk of the subject of such introductions etc., reason why the rest of the aristocrats didn't dare try and pull that on him again… until Aidou's father did, that is. (Kaname was most likely saving his virginity for Yuuki. XD *lol*)_

--

_And onto something else, the amount of half-written fics I have sitting in my folders is SCARY. XD  
I tend to quickly write stuff down when I have an idea, and go back to it later… but usually I end up not having time and forgetting about them, so I have a bazillion ficlets sitting around waiting to be finished. XD;  
I like some of the stories, so I'll probably try to finish them (or some at least XD) and post them. :D Don't be surprised if you see an invasion of ficlets. XD *lol*_

_--_


	25. 25 : Daybreak

_**25th story in my series of short stories with various VK characters.  
Independent from the previous 24. **_

_**#: 25  
Title: **__"Daybreak."

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They were like brothers. Inseparable for better or for worse, from the very moment they each came into the world.

It had always been like that.

From the fiery summer evening in which he'd been born, and in which his parents had rejoiced saying that within a few months, he'd be able to be a companion to his younger cousin about to be born in the main branch of the family.

From the chilly winter morning in which, a mere season and a half later, said younger cousin was born, his vibrant blue eyes opening full of curiosity over the world a few days later.

Their parents had been plotting their offspring's future friendship already from the time the mothers were still pregnant.

And so it was.

Although not even they could have foreseen that the two boys would grow so attached to each other. Akatsuki was just a small baby still walking on his fours when he was introduced to his newborn cousin, but the proximity between them was immediate, and only grew as they themselves became older.

And somehow, all that Akatsuki did, his young cousin did in a more hurried and prodigious manner, always bringing excellence, chaos, or both into all that he did. The older boy was only starting to walk steadily when the smaller one decided to take his first steps himself, much too early and immediately falling over, but not before first reaching for Akatsuki, grabbing onto him, and accidentally dragging him in his fall too.

That seemed to be an ongoing pattern for them both, from that day on. Everything they did, they did together, Aidou inevitably doing it with complete flair and brio even when his adventures ended in catastrophe, and Cain inevitably following him through after him even though he was the older one. Generally, he was rushing after Hanabusa to try and prevent him from getting into trouble, although it usually ended with Akatsuki taking the fall or being punished along with him, for whatever bright idea it was that the blond had had that had caused them to get caught.  
In a way, he was his little cousin's shield, albeit a most odd type of shield, since he never managed to stop Aidou and was simply there to share the punishment with him after being dragged into whatever mischief by the blond.

At times, Akatsuki worried if their families would finally decide that he was worthless as a protector to his cousin, and would separate them. But it was never the case, and the Aidou family treated him as if he was the brother Hanabusa had never had.

The Cain family was related to the much more powerful Aidou clan by marriage, and it was an honor to have their heir grow up as close to his cousin as if they were brothers. But the two boys never considered the political implications of such things.

No, they were so much more than social considerations could have limited them to be. Their closeness and trust was like that of heroes of times long gone.

Akatsuki was to Hanabusa as Patroclus was to Achilles or Hephaestion to Alexander.

Minus the sexual element, of course. The occasional youthful experimenting aside, Akatsuki and Hanabusa had never seen each other that way.

And then, there was Luca. The delicate flower that Akatsuki's thoughts would have always revolved around if not for the fact that most of the time he barely had enough time to think, too busy trying –and failing— to keep Hanabusa out of trouble.  
Together, they were the three musketeers of the young vampiric aristocracy, inseparable regardless of gender or social distinctions.

And regardless of unrequited feelings.

Akatsuki was resigned to be forever Luca's unrequited love, and Hanabusa had always had a marked interest for the fair sex, albeit Akatsuki suspected that might actually have always been a façade to cover the blond's true interest, a love as impossible as Luca's, and ironically aimed at the same person.

It seemed that it was Akatsuki's destiny to see the people around himself burning with passion for Kaname Kuran.

As the years passed and Luca and Aidou's passion for Kaname grew to even higher heights as they competed against one another, if not for his love then at least for the title of who loved him most, Akatsuki wondered why he'd never fallen for the young pureblood's charms, and even tried to see if he could feel the same way as his two cousins, thinking that he might perhaps be less lonely in his heart if he knew how it felt to be in love with Kaname Kuran too.  
But much as he may agree that the brunet was undeniably incredibly beautiful, as was to be expected of a pureblood, (and definitely made wonderful material for those idle nights in which teenage boys find in their hand a companion that they may not yet find in another person –a habit he quickly dropped, feelings as if he was desecrating something precious to Hanabusa and Luca by doing that to the image of their beloved pureblood) Akatsuki finally never fell in love with Kaname.

Maybe it was because deep inside, he slightly resented the young pureblood for being loved so deeply by the only two people Akatsuki loved more than anything else in the world.  
Or maybe it was because whenever Akatsuki laid eyes on Kaname, he felt as if he was seeing something no one else –not even Hanabusa and Luca— seemed to notice...

As a child, Akatsuki had a particular fondness for taking long walks in the large woods surrounding the Aidou domain, to admire the peacefulness of nature –and its striking contrast with the constant agitation the world seemed to take around his prodigious cousin.  
And so during one of those walks, the young boy happened upon a broken nest, fallen from a tree after a storm. The bird parents were nowhere to be found, nor any other siblings, but there was a single little brown bird left abandoned in the remains of the nest, shivering miserably from cold and injured from the fall. Filled with pity for that little broken form, Akatsuki had picked the little bird up and brought it home, tried his best to warm him up –even using the warmth of his hands while being extremely careful not to produce actual flames— but in the end, it was to no avail, and the small creature died a few hours later, in his hands. He'd blamed himself for not being able to save him, and had been inconsolable at the loss of that tiny life that seemed to have suffered so much in the short amount of time it had been alive.

And even now that years had passed since then, he was still surprised by the fact that whenever he looked at Kaname Kuran, he didn't simply see the mask of perfect control and strength that the young pureblood projected for all to see… Akatsuki saw instead the image of that broken little bird, superimposed over the image of the young brunet.

He'd never mentioned it to anyone, nor even to Hanabusa, but it was in part why he felt such an urge to protect Kaname. He may not know what gave him that impression, but he realized that deep inside, the young pureblood was as broken as that little bird he'd been unable to save all those years before. It was why he'd immediately offered to let Kaname play with them the first time they met, and it was why he'd guarded him with such care all those years since then. Something inside Akatsuki hoped that by soothing whatever was broken inside Kaname, and keeping him out of harm's way, he would be making up a little for the baby bird that died in his hands.

Of course, that was a mere additional reason, one that came back to his mind every so often when he considered why he felt that odd protectiveness, but that was nevertheless by far secondary to his primary reason to stand by the young pureblood.

_Hanabusa and Luca._

As long as those two loved Kaname with all their soul, and were ready to give their lives to protect him, Akatsuki would stand between the brunet and any harm that may ever threaten to come his way.  
He would take any blows for Kaname Kuran, because it meant those were blows Hanabusa and Luca wouldn't be taking. He had no doubts that should anyone ever try to harm Kaname, those two would immediately move to protect him, so by protecting him first, he was also protecting them.

Akatsuki may never have managed to get a clear idea of what he wanted of life or where he ever wanted to go, but he didn't really need to worry with that. Hanabusa and Luca both knew where they wanted to go, and he'd never have considered going anywhere else than wherever they might go, so the path was already all traced for him.

Perhaps even from birth.

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~ The end ~

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_**Notes:** I fixed a few details in the fic, because I'd written it on a spur of a moment and while pretty busy, so I hadn't had time to go and check some stuff in canon for the fic beforehand, and today I was taking a look at the Aidou family tree and noticed with horror that I had various discrepancies in the fic. XD;;_

_Since I hate messing up that sort of canon detail, I fixed the fic, and just in case anyone is interested, Hanabusa Aidou and Akatsuki Cain are cousins (as you already knew XD), because according to the fanbook Cain's mother married into the Cain clan but is the sister of Aidou's father. Similarly, Luca Souen and Hanabusa Aidou are also cousins, because their mothers are sisters._

_Luca and Akatsuki appear to not be related by blood (though they grew up close together due to being Hanabusa's cousins), but it's hard to tell for sure because the tree shows the early times, then cuts away and shows the most recent generations, but we don't know if there were any intermarriages in between those times. (They're not purebloods so there wouldn't be sibling marriages most likely, but cousins etc. might have married maybe.)  
I hope we'll have a second fanbook one day with more family trees, it's endless fun. X3_


End file.
